An Uncertain Future
by Caitlyn90
Summary: Nobody has seen Harry Potter since the week of Voldemort's downfall. Retreating to the muggle world he left without a single goodbye and has not been heard from since. Ginny knows he will come back. But is she ready for the consequences of his return?
1. Fifteen Years Later

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

_Potter sighted in Glasgow _screams the Prophet. But it is no longer on the first page, or even the second. Ginny has nearly reached the end of the paper before she finds it. But she knows it won't be him. It never is.

No wizard has seen Harry Potter for 15 years now, even Ron and Hermione have no idea where he is. He is not officially dead yet; there are too many 'sightings' for the ministry to allow that to happen. The-boy-who-lived is nearly forgotten; a household name in the defeat of Voldemort 15 years ago, the wizarding world no longer thinks of him as a person, but as a name.

Ginny closed the paper and moved through to the kitchen. The large pictures on the walls waved at her. George and Angelina's wedding, Bill and Fleur's wedding and Ron and Hermione's wedding. Next to Ron at his wedding sat an empty chair. Left for Harry, or rather in memory of Harry; Ron had not known where to send the invite.

Ginny felt tears spring in her eyes at the thought of the one she had loved; now with no idea if he was alive.

Molly bustled into the kitchen, took one look at her daughter and knew what she was thinking. Sitting her down she attempted to distract Ginny, by talking of everything from Arthur's last failed attempt at de-gnoming to the fact Ron and Hermione's eldest was starting Hogwarts this year.

"Letter came yesterday, of course Hermione was ecstatic, and Ron thinks his eardrums will never be the same. Ginny dear are you listening?"

"What?"

"Come on now dear, you'll be late for work if you don't hurry."

Ginny left the house, nearly walking into the gate, before disappearing with a loud crack. Molly watched her go, shaking her head. her eyes fell on the prophet, open where Ginny had left it. _Potter sighted…_Molly shook her head, trying not to think of the surrogate son she lost.

Ginny arrived in St Mungo's with moments to spare. Changing quickly into her robes she prayed that Healer Pye was not in charge today; he would love an excuse to yell at her again.

"Weasley!" Ginny felt her heart sink; she would know those strident tones anywhere. Turning slowly towards Pye she froze. There, in the waiting room. A mass of untidy black hair, just like…

"You're very nearly late" healer Pye bellowed at her from somewhere to her left.

Ginny blinked and the hair was gone so quickly she could have imagined it. She struggled to tell herself she was dreaming it, and tried to pay attention to what was being yelled at her.

"Not good enough…Punctuality…Robes messy again…Pay attention…Smethwick."

Ginny took the parting shot to mean she was working with Smethwick today. Feeling glad that something was going right at least, she climbed the stairs to the third floor.

As if knowing the mood she was in, Smethwick set Ginny to dressing wounds. Under normal circumstances it was tedious and boring, but it allowed Ginny to think through everything in her mind; which today focused on Harry Potter. Over and over again.

Her last patient before lunch was simple. He woke up as she was putting on his new dressing, and Ginny found herself staring into a pair of startling green eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and she froze. Those eyes, she had stared into them so much in her fifth year; she would know them anywhere.

"Is everything ok?" Her patient was clearly worried.

Ginny nodded to reassure him, avoiding his eyes. Finishing the dressing she fled the room.

In the safety of the staff room she curled up on a sofa in the corner. She had to be imagining it. It was all because of that article in the paper this morning; now she was seeing things.

Ginny had training that night. Though she had refused a full time career with the Holyhead Harpies, she was still their reserve chaser and so trained with them three nights a week. Glad of something to take her mind off the day, she changed into her robes and started a warm up flight before the rest of the team arrived from the changing rooms.

That night was the worst training session she had ever had. The other fliers were worried about her, and by the end even the coach had noticed that something was up.

If Ginny had been disconcerted before the practice, by the end she was terrified. The stag that wandered out of the woods towards her was exactly like Harry's patronus, the light coming from the clubhouse reflected a lightening bolt off the goalposts.

The team kept quiet, she was clearly upset and they did not want to trouble her further. Leaving the pitch in a daze she barely made it home.

Tears dripping down her cheeks, she was greeted in the kitchen by the entire Weasley clan. George, Bill and Ron had brought their families round to celebrate the arrival of the Hogwarts letters. Knowing that she wanted nothing more than to be left alone, Ginny remained in the doorway just long enough for everyone to fall silent at her tear streaked face, before running from the room, to the safely of the attic.

The kitchen was silent. Molly's eyes met Hermione's in silent communication. Hermione left the room, climbing the stairs to the attic with increasing worry about what she would find and why.

Ginny was curled up in the corner, crying. Her head in her hands, Hermione had never seen anything so sad. Her ginger hair fell around her head, concealing her face, though nothing could hide the sobbing.

An hour later Hermione was even more worried than she had been before. She knew Ginny had been missing Harry, but he'd been gone for 15 years. Yes she hoped, but Ginny firmly believed he was coming back.

"Ginny, if he was coming back he would have done it by now. When has he ever kept you waiting before?"

Though she knew it was the truth, Ginny did not want to admit it. Every time she thought she wanted to let go, something came back to remind her that he was alive… had to be alive. His eyes, his hair, his scar; everything added up.

"He has to be coming back, he has to." She could hear the desperate pleading in her voice. Hermione knew she could not lie to Ginny. She could not tell her what she wanted to hear.

"Ginny, he's not coming back. It's been 15 years. You need to move on"

"NO"

Ginny collapsed onto the floor, shaking her head and sobbing.

**And that's the first chapter. I'm writing this as I go so please review and let me know what you think. Thanks!**


	2. 1st September

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

"Hugo get a move on!" Hermione called up the stairs frantically. "Rose, have you got everything?"

The little redhead by her side nodded.

"Good. HUGO! Let's go."

Ginny came down the stairs, levitating Hugo's trunk in front of her, with a small redheaded boy trailing behind her.

"Caught him trying to sneak his broom in." Ginny smiled, while Hermione glared at the offending son.

"The taxi's here. Thank goodness Ron isn't coming. Remember the last time he tried to book a taxi…" she trailed off knowing Ginny would remember the fiasco involving a telephone and some muggle drivers.

15 minutes later two women, two small children, two trunks a cat and an owl were safely inside the cars on the way to the station.

20 minutes later Rose and Hugo were arguing.

"I'm going to be in Gryffindor. I will, I will."

"Might not be. Dad'll disown you when you get into Ravenclaw!"

"NO!"

Hermione decided it was time to intervene.

"Hugo, no shouting. Rose, don't torment your brother. Hugo, dad and I will still love you, no matter what house you're in."

Hugo stuck his tongue out at Rose when his mother had turned back to Ginny in the front seat. Rose kicked him back; but was saved being yelled at by the arrival at kings cross.

"Rose you go first with Ginny. Go now."

Rose and Ginny ran at the barrier between platforms nine and ten, Ginny pushing the trolley. Rose spotted friends of hers and ran off, while Ginny waited for Hugo and Hermione.

Loading the trunks onto a carriage, Rose was long gone. Hugo settled himself in a carriage while Ginny and Hermione waited outside. Before long another boy joined Hugo in the compartment.

Ginny nearly had a heart attack.

"Mione" was all she managed to gasp, pointing through the window at Hugo's new companion. Hermione simply looked confused until the boy looked up.

Green eyes stared out at her from under a mop of messy black hair.

Hugo and the boy came off the train to say goodbye. Ginny was staring, but Hermione had recovered enough to talk.

"Mum, this is James." Ginny gasped at the recognition of the name.

"I'm gunna get my dad." And the little boy sped off.

"What's his surname?" Ginny didn't care how strange the question sounded. She had to know.

"Finnegan. I think he said. Why?"

Ginny shook her head, all hope forced out of her.

"This is my dad." Ginny did not bother to look up until she heard Hermione gasp.

Staring back at her, with a look of shock to match Hermione's was Harry potter. Her Harry.

He recovered first.

"Dean Finnegan. Nice to meet you." He extended his hand to Hermione who shook it.

James and Hugo jabbered away, introducing their parents to each other before disappearing onto the train.

Once the train pulled away, Hermione dragged Ginny over to the wall where Harry was trying to remain invisible.

"Dean Finnegan? Really imaginative, Harry."

Harry looked shocked at being recognised, but did not deny it. Instead he simply blinked at Hermione in disbelief.

"Well?" If he had been hoping that silence would make them go away, Hermione had no intention of letting that happen.

"How did you know?" Was all he managed to choke out.

"I only went to school with you for six years Harry, and spent our last year camping out with you. And _Dean Finnegan_? I do remember the rest of our classmates you know."

"Still the cleverest witch I know then?" Ginny grinned at his words, she couldn't help herself.

"Where've you been?" She had to know, and she had to know now. Everything in her was fighting not to hug him, or batter him for hiding for so long.

"Devon. My wife lived there , right by the coast."

Ginny felt her heart sink. Of course he had to be married; he had a son for crying out loud. Ever since her fifth year she had been convinced they would be together.

"Why?" If Ginny had not seen Hermione's lips move, she would not have thought she had spoken.

"Mione, you know why."

Hermione felt her heart sink. Of course. That was why he didn't say goodbye. She looked at Ginny frantically, realising that she'd never told the younger girl what had happened before Harry left their world.

_It was just after the last battle. The castle lay in ruins as people swarmed around, trying to find loved ones. Harry had been forced to talk to all of them, until Professor McGonagall had found enough beds for them all. Harry, Hermione and Ron had all shared a dormitory, the rooms no longer minded who slept in them._

_They were exhausted, pale and shaken, though Harry looked the worst. Frustrated at not being able to find anything in the mess he had tried to summon some pyjamas to him and nothing had happened. Hermione had summoned three pairs with a simple wave of her wand. Ron had joked about how Harry could defeat Voldemort but couldn't find his clothes._

_They had slept not particularly soundly. Ron and Hermione were woken frequently by Harry's screams as he thrashed around in his sleep. There were no lessons the next week, as the teachers and ministry worked on re-building the wizarding world, including the castle of Hogwarts._

_Harry, Ron and Hermione spent the day in Hogsmeade, helping George re-build the shop to distract him from the loss of his twin. He seemed to know what they were trying to do, but let them. Harry tried his best to help, but even simple repairing spells seemed beyond him._

_By the end of the week, Harry knew what was wrong. Though Hermione had tried to convince him he was simply exhausted from the fight, Harry knew better. He packed his trunk and left for the muggle world that night with tears in his eyes. Hermione had been the first to figure out what he had done, when she had found his invisibility cloak on her bed, with the note 'use it well'._

"You can't do magic?" Ginny knew it was insensitive, but she couldn't help herself. Couldn't believe it. Harry simply shook his head.

"You should have stayed" she whispered. "Everyone misses you."

Harry didn't smile. "No, Ginny." He said. "They miss the boy-who-lived. They don't care about Harry Potter, muggle."

Ginny felt tears in her eyes, though she knew it was true. Harry turned to leave. Ginny couldn't believe Hermione was just going to let him leave.

"Harry, don't go. Please. Come back to the burrow. Everyone will just be glad to see you." She knew she was begging, but she didn't care. She wanted him back. "Don't hide."

Harry turned and spoke to her before walking through the barrier.

"I'm sorry Ginny. I can't be the Harry Potter your world wants me to be. So it's better not to be Harry Potter at all."

**Please review to let me know what you think!**


	3. Christmas at the Burrow

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

Four letters lay on Harry's kitchen table. He knew immediately who they were from.

One had a stamp, with a messy cursive script. That was Louise's parents, probably wanting to know what to get James for Christmas. He smiled until he looked at the other three. Two had been delivered by a grey owl, his name printed neatly in ink. He ignored them, turning instead to the letter delivered by the school barn own, from James.

_Heya dad, _

_I'm having a great time here at Hogwarts! I've been sorted into Gryffindor, that's a school house, and I think it's the best! The food's great and there's so much of it. Hugo just won't stop eating, so we've found out how to sneak down to the kitchens. Last time, Luke was too loud and Professor Longbottom caught us. He went a bit funny when I told him my name, and he let us off. No idea why though. Hugo reckons he's just nice; apparently he knows Hugo's mum._

_My favorite lesson is charms, the professor's really nice too and we don't get any homework. I can't stand history of magic though, it's taught by a ghost! If that sounds cool, its not… he's sooo boring!_

_Hugo's invited us back to his house for Christmas. Apparently his family all come back, so you can meet lots of wizards. And older wizards can use magic all the time; not just in school; so you can see lots being done. And Hugo's going to teach me to play Quiddich. Please please please can we go? It'd be so much fun!_

_I've got to go now. Luke thinks he's found a secret passage out of the school! _

_Love James. _

Harry smiled; his son had followed him to Gryffindor. And Neville was still at Hogwarts, what could he be teaching? Not potions, Harry guessed. Binns was still around, was Flitwick? Harry thought not, he remembered lots of charms homework!

Hugo? Was that the Weasley? He couldn't remember Hermione or Ginny ever saying any name when he had seen them at the station. It probably was; they wouldn't just let him alone. Though it was probably mostly Hugo he needed to blame. Sighing, he replied to James. Yes, he supposed they could go to Hugo's house. He couldn't think of a good reason not to.

He turned his attention to the letters from Ginny. They probably said the same as the other four she had sent. Ever since seeing them at Kings Cross she had been writing to him. He wished owls needed addresses to deliver letters; muggles would never have found him.

_Dear Harry,_

_Ginny says you're not replying to her letters. I hope they're reaching you, because I am using the same owl she does. I expect that by now James has invited you to the Burrow. It was mostly Ron's idea. But I will warn you now; he has no idea who James' dad is. It is not my place to tell him; Ginny wants to do that._

_I hope you will consider coming to the Burrow this Christmas; Ginny is not the only one who wants to see you._

_Mione _

Ok. Not from Ginny then.

Hermione. He missed her so much, especially after Louise had died when James was three. Not as a girl. He had always known that she and Ron were made for each other. He realised that he was guessing Ron and Mione were together; but couldn't think what else the letter would mean.

He didn't write back, he didn't know what to say. He added a sentence to James' letter telling him to make sure Hugo's parents knew they would be coming.

He didn't think he could deal with Ginny's letter. Settling down to wait for the owl, he watched football on the television; and realised how much he missed Quiddich.

Christmas came too soon that year. He waited outside the barrier for James, with a bag packed for Christmas, wishing he could turn round and disappear once more. But he had a son to think of this time.

"DAD" Harry was jerked into the present by a shout as his son appeared from a brick wall. Harry ruffled James' hair as he hugged him. Behind him stood Hugo and Hermione.

Hermione smiled at him, but took her cue from Harry who extended a hand in greeting. Harry had not yet told James anything about him. He knew he would have to at some point, but not in Kings Cross Station.

"Normally we'd apparate, but we've got taxi's booked today because there's more of us." Hermione didn't know why Harry refused to acknowledge her, but she had a feeling that James was convinced he was muggle-born.

Harry sat in the back, with James in the middle. Rose sat in front with her mum and the driver. Harry couldn't help but notice how much Hermione had changed from studious teenager into devoted mum.

"Oh, mum, mum!" Hugo cried suddenly from the beck. "Guess who we learnt about in defense against the dark arts?"

"Um… tell me" Hermione shot a look at Harry, who thought he might just know who it was.

"Harry Potter!"

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed inwardly. Now he was being taught about. James was pulling on his shirt to grab his attention.

"It's really cool dad, he defeated this really dark wizard when he was still seventeen even when loads of other great wizards couldn't. but no-one's seen him since!"

"Really? Wow!" Harry made a stab at sounding surprised and amazed. Whether he pulled it off or not he never found out, as Hermione pulled them from the taxi into the relative safety of the burrow.

Watching the taxi leave Harry realised what this Christmas was going to entail. Weasley's in their masses, all of whom would be able to recognise him and Ron; who had forgiven him a lot in the past, but was known to hold grudges. And somewhere along the line he was going to have to tell James a little more about Harry Potter. His stomach twisted at the thought.

The Burrow was surprisingly quiet. Harry looked around.

"Ginny's at work at St Mungo's." Hermione explained. "Arthur and Percy are at the ministry; Ron and George are at the joke shop. I think Molly's gone shopping. Bill and Charlie aren't getting here until later. I'll show you to your room. It's in the attic I'm afraid, and James will share with Hugo."

Harry nodded and left the kitchen with Hermione, the boys had vanished into the garden; Harry suspected Quiddich would feature in that development.

When they reached the attic, Harry dropped his bag and faced Hermione, who was looking at him with interest. With no warning, she leapt at him and hugged him. It was a while before he realised that she was crying.

"Mione don't." He hugged her back, remembering the schooldays with her that he had enjoyed so much.

"Your son doesn't even know who you are?"

"No, he thinks I'm a very supportive muggle parent. I suppose that's going to go out of the window this week?

"I think it might Harry."

Harry nodded as he heard the door close three floors below and someone call out for Hugo and Rose. Hermione looked horrified.

"What?"

"No-one's told Ron it's you."

"What? No-one's told him that Dean Finnegan, James' dad is in fact me, his best friend?"

"No, Ginny wanted to do it. But I don't think she has. Suddenly Hermione thought of something else.

"And if Ron doesn't go into shock. I know several other redheads who will."

**Please review. Thanks!**


	4. Confessions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

"Let's get this over with"

"Can I call you Harry now?"

Harry simply nodded; his head was too full of how Ron might react. Following Hermione down the stairs he wished he could apparate. Be far away before anyone realised he had gone.

As Hermione entered the kitchen, Harry breathed a sigh of relief, it was Arthur; Rose in his arms. He opened his mouth to speak, but caught sight of Harry.

Rose squealed as she fell to the floor.

The kitchen was silent. Even Rose could pick up on the tension. Hugo decided that it was strange adult behavior and was about to introduce Dean to his granddad when Arthur spoke.

"Harry?" His voice was hoarse and full of disbelief.

Harry? Now Hugo, James and Rose were confused. Who on earth was Harry? And why were their parents acting so strange.

Arthur looked at Hermione for help, his voice did not seem to be connected to his brain any more. He was not entirely sure that he wasn't hallucinating.

"Arthur, you know Harry. James' dad." At Hermione's words Arthur looked at James for the first time. The resemblance to Harry hit him like a brick, he almost staggered backwards. As recognition dawned he smiled and drew Harry into a hug.

"You realise Molly will have a fit?" Arthur was trying to figure out how best to diffuse his wife as Hermione mumbled something about 'Ginny wanted…'. Until a small voice put a dampener on things considerably.

"Dad. What's going on? Who's Harry?" James spoke from the corner and Harry had to look around to see him.

"I'm Harry, James. And these are old friends of mine."

James' eyes filled with confusion. "What?"

Harry crossed the room and knelt down next to him, so only James could hear what he was saying.

"Listen, I used to be someone different, a long time ago. But whatever people are calling me, I'm still your dad and I still love you, OK. Nothing will ever change that. Ever."

James looked like he wanted more explaining, but a diversion arrived in the form of George, Bill and four small redheads. Harry gave James one last big hug before the small bog ran off to join the bundle.

"He took that well." Commented Hermione.

"Only because he doesn't know what's going on. He knows if he's mad at me he'll never get to know." Harry was not smiling, but was relieved that nothing bigger had happened.

Hearing Harry's voice, George looked over.

"Good to see you Harry" he said lightly before turning to Bill.

Suddenly he turned back to Harry so fast they heard his neck crack.

"Merlin's beard. Is that really Harry? Harry Potter where have you been all these years?"

Bill was smiling over George's head, Arthur was grinning in the corner and six redheads and a dark haired child looked very confused. The adults were saved any explaining by the arrival of the women.

The population in the kitchen swelled massively. Molly, Angelina, Fleur and Ginny pushed their way through the door. They fell silent as they surveyed the scene in front of them.

Arthur took charge.

"Molly, this is James, Hugo's friend. George and Bill were early. And this is James' dad. Harry Potter."

Silence.

Harry held his breath as the whole kitchen froze.

Molly stared as if frozen. Ginny had tears running down her face, Angelina looked as shocked as George had and Fleur simply looked confused.

Molly fainted, breaking the tension.

An hour later the situation had been diffused. Molly was lying down, George was teaching Quiddich and Harry was finally in the lounge with his son, alone.

"Are you really Harry Potter?" Harry was glad James spoke first; he did not know where to begin.

Harry nodded. "A long time ago I was just like you. A wizard. That's how I know the Weasley's. I went to Hogwarts with Hugo's parents; that's how they recognised me. I think you know the next bit, but I never dreamt they would be teaching about me in DADA. After defeating Voldemort I lost my powers. That's why you've never seen me do magic, because I can't any more. I couldn't deal with the world knowing that Harry Potter couldn't be their saviour any more, so I left. It was the hardest thing I ever did. I left my friends behind and all memories of my parents. I haven't seen another wizard in 15 years."

He didn't want to explain any more than this right now. But he knew he had to explain enough for his son.

"Did my mum know?"

Whatever Harry had been expecting, it wasn't that. He knew James missed him mum, though sometimes he thought he didn't really know how much.

"No. There was too much hurt in my past from this world; the memories of everyone who died fighting Voldemort. I couldn't do magic anymore and felt it might do more harm than good to tell her. But I always loved your mum. I still do."

James nodded and hugged Harry, who took it as a sign that all was forgiven, if not very well explained.

"Can you play Quiddich?"

"I used to be Gryffindor seeker. I'll come play with you later." Harry promised.

Hermione poked her head round the door. She looked tense.

"Ron's back."

"Ron?" The confusion was back on James' face.

"Hugo's dad. My best mate from Hogwarts."

James pushed him towards the door; following at a safe distance.

Ron was talking avidly as Harry entered the garden, motioning towards Fred, George's youngest, who was currently playing chaser. Harry stood beside Ginny, and waited.

He was surprised to feel her hand take his, but squeezed it anyway, as he would have done when they went out in his sixth year. He knew she remembered when she blushed.

"Mione, explain." Said Ron suddenly. Without anyone noticing he had ended up facing Harry. Ron was about to go check himself into St Mungo's for hallucinations.

"Ron, you know Harry. James' dad." At Hermione's words Ron looked at James for the first time. At that moment James was swerving on his broom looking for the snitch. Harry smiled; he was playing seeker! The resemblance to Harry hit Ron visible, he stumbled backwards.

"Where've you been?"

Hermione sensed danger. "Ron" she said warningly.

"No, Hermione, don't you 'Ron' me. My best mate disappears and I don't see him for 15 years, then he turns up on my doorstep. Not even an owl mate. Well?"

"Mate, I would have if I could." Harry had not expected this, everyone else had been glad to see him.

"You're a freaking wizard Harry!" Ron was red in the face and screaming. "Of course you could."

"No Ron" Harry shook his head sadly. "I'm not a wizard any more mate. Haven't been for fifteen years."

Harry recognised this as breaking point. Ron would either hug him or thump him.

**I'm still working on the next few chapters, but they are coming! Let me know what you think so far please!**


	5. Breaking Point

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

He did neither. Instead he tuned on his heels and stormed back the way Harry had just come. Harry watched him go with a sinking heart. It would have been better if he had punched him, at least then he'd know how Ron felt.

He felt Ginny's hand leave his as she followed Ron into the house.

"She can calm him down better than the rest of us." Hermione explained. "You know he'll come round, he's probably just in shock."

Harry nodded and let his attention wander back to the game of Quiddich in front of him. Ron had forgiven him a lot in the past, admittedly not anything quite this big, but they'd been best mates. He hoped Ron could remember it as vividly as he did.

It took Ginny a while to find Ron. Eventually she found him in his old bedroom, picking at a hole on his Chudley Cannons bedspread. She had to weave round Hermione's camp bed to reach him. He didn't look round as she entered.

"Ginny you knew about this didn't you? Don't deny it, you were holding his hand."

"Yeah; Mione and I met him at Kings Cross." Her voice was barely more than a whisper, knowing that Ron could explode at any second.

"And you didn't think to tell me? I'm his best mate!"

Before they knew it they were yelling at each other. Both would dearly have loved to yell at Harry, to make him understand. But he was in the garden; and each thought of the other as an open target.

"He's changed Ron, he's not your best mate an-"

"He'll always be my best mate, we did everything together!"

"That was before he left!"

"He came back didn't he?"

"He's a MUGGLE Ron! He can't do magic, he doesn't want to be here, and he's not your best mate anymore!"

Ginny ran from the room, sobbing. Slamming the door to her room behind her she curled into a ball, just as she had the day Harry had left; head in her arms.

_Hermione had been the one to find her. Curled in the corner of Gryffindor tower, crying into her arms. Motherly instinct had made the older girl put her arms around Ginny's shoulders to comfort her._

"_He's not coming back is he?"_

_Hermione knew it was no use trying to lie._

"_No. I don't think he is."_

"_But he didn't even say goodbye."_

_Hermione had nothing to say to that. She suspected that Harry couldn't face any more goodbyes. She knew he felt responsible for all deaths caused in the battle. Nothing she or Ron had said made any difference. _

"_Harry doesn't need any more goodbyes."_

"Ron?" Having heard the shouting, Hermione had persuaded Harry to go up and talk to Ron. He was not sure it was a good idea, but he knew he had to try.

Harry was shocked. He had seen Ron cry before, but not for years. He wiped his face and turned to face Harry, who was not pleased to see that he did not look happy.

"I'm sorry mate. I kept trying to write but-"

"Can't have tried very hard. Owl post comes every day."

Harry decided that everything was going to come back to magic, so he had to squash all suggestions now.

"Muggles can't use owl post though."

"YOU'RE NOT A FREAKING MUGGLE YOU'RE THE BEST WIZARD IN OUR YEAR."

Harry was shocked. He had expected Ron to be mad, but not to the extent he was. Everyone in France could probably hear him, thought Harry.

"Wizards can do magic Ron."

"What?" This had clearly thrown Ron.

"Why do you think I left? What's the point of a Harry Potter who can't do magic." Harry tried not to let bitterness show in his voice.

"You can't do magic?"

Harry shook his head in response. "Ever since Vol- sorry, you-know-who died."

"We say Voldemort now." Though the words were short, the harshness in Ron's voice was gone. He knew Harry was trying; he even refrained from saying Voldemort, because he knew Ron didn't like it.

Harry nodded. He noticed that Ron was no longer yelling.

"I thought-" Ron's voice was barely more than a whisper. "I thought you left because of us? Because Mione and I let you go into the forest t-to die."

"What? No Ron. I would never have let you stop me. When did I ever question what Dumbledore told me?"

"Dumbledore-?"

"In a memory."

When Ron didn't say anything, Harry spoke again.

"I wouldn't have left if I hadn't thought I had to."

Ron nodded, all anger gone. He knew that Harry was still his best mate, and usually had reasons for everything. Given a choice; he'd rather forgive Harry short of answers than be mad at him. And he knew Hermione wouldn't get off his back till they were talking.

He hugged Harry, knowing that they had fifteen years to catch up on, so had better start now.

"Let's go downstairs then. Before Hermione comes up to find us."

Harry smiled knowing all was forgiven. Ron had never managed to stay mad at him in the past either!

As they passed Ginny's room, Harry paused, hearing crying from inside.

"Ron, you go. I think I need to talk to Ginny."

Ron nodded. "She was really upset when you left; wouldn't talk to anyone. I don't think she really ever stopped thinking you would come back." He kept going down the stairs, while Harry turned to face the closed door.

He knocked.

"Ginny?" The crying stopped though the door remained closed.

"Ginny, I don't mind if you don't talk to me." Ok it was a lie, but it sounded better. "But I heard what you yelled at Ron. And I do want to be here. Because- well because you're still here."

Ginny didn't know if he meant what she thought. But did she want to. But she couldn't bear being left like that again. This may be a grown up Harry, but he was a far cry from the Harry she had loved. That Harry would not have made her wait fifteen years.

She opened the door to find him standing there. So he hadn't changed in what he looked like. The same hair; standing all on end, and his eyes; as clear as how she thought she had seen them at work. But he'd changed too; the worry lines on his face where laughter lines used to be; the shadows in his eyes where there used to be light.

She didn't know what to say. What do you say to the love of your life who abandoned you fifteen years ago without a word?

Nothing came to her. She remembered what Hermione had said the night he vanished._ "Harry doesn't need any more goodbyes."_ So what if he was married? And had a son? They could still be friends. Couldn't they?

Harry stood there and watched her. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. Louise had been beautiful too, but in a different way. Light seemed to shine from Ginny, throwing her red hair and sparking eyes into greater prominence.

'_Louise was everything I needed. But maybe Ginny is everything I want.'_

Harry did not ponder where the thought had come from. His mind supplied random thoughts at bad times regularly now.

"I waited for you."

Harry's heart melted at the pain in her voice.

"I wanted to come back for you, but there's no place for me here. You deserved someone who could live in your world with you. Make you happy."

"You make me happy." Ginny fought the urge to cry welling up in her.

Suddenly she leant over to him and pulled him into a kiss. He could feel fifteen years worth of pain and dreams radiating from Ginny in waves, and nearly wept at the thought that he had caused that.

When she pulled away it was a surprise to Harry, and somewhat a surprise to her as well.

"Wait, I can't do this if I think you're going to leave again. We all want you back. Please say you're going to stay here?"

Harry nodded. "My son's at Hogwarts and now he knows the truth about me. I'll stay."

They were the words she needed to hear.

**What do you think? I found the parts between Harry, Ginny and Ron hard to write. Let me know how you think I've done. There's at least two more chapters coming in this story.**


	6. Christmas Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

By the time Christmas day arrived Harry could not believe it had taken so long. In between everyone fainting, screaming and crying he thought he must have been here at least a month. But it had only been a few days.

With Ron it was as if Harry had never been away; they spent large amounts of time just doing nothing, Harry watching Ron pulling pranks on the large amount of Weasley children now in the house, while trying not to get caught by Hermione.

The burrow was stretched to bursting. With nine children, ten adults and two grandparents in the house, there was barley enough room to move. Because they hadn't known who he was, Harry was the only one with a room to himself.

The first thing Ron had needed to do was introduce the family. Harry privately agreed with what Ron's Aunt Muriel had once said about the Weasley family breeding like rabbits.

Bill and Fleur had two girls and a boy; Victoire, Lucille, and Thomas.

George and Angelina had a small boy, Fred. Though a twinkle in Ron's eye suggested they were not planning on leaving Fred as an only child.

Charlie and Laura, a witch he had met in Egypt, had two little twin terrors; David and Benjamin. If let loose, they could have rivalled Fred and George any day!

With Ron and Hermione adding Rose and Hugo to the mix, along with James, there was quite a little party going from very early in the morning to late at night. Harry was spared being woken up at the crack of dawn by being up in the attic, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for Molly and Arthur, whose house had been invaded.

Percy, it transpired, had never married, 'except to his job' Ron joked. Though Hermione thought she had seen him and Penelope Clearwater, the prefect he had previously dated, in deep conversation last time she visited the ministry. 'They weren't talking about department policy, that's for sure' she had remarked to him, smiling.

Christmas day proved just how full the Burrow really was. Even the presents had to be opened outside, as the lounge really was too small for everyone to fit into. Someone had cast a warming spell, thought Harry, as otherwise the snow covered ground would have been freezing.

Before long, the ground was strewn with ripped paper. As the rubbish was cleared away, and the presents piled high by the tree, the small pile of still-wrapped presents was small by comparison.

"Right, it looks like there's about one left each." Hermione had been put in charge of distribution and was doing a good job of ensuring there wasn't a riot.

As she handed out the last presents, the children read the tag before ripping them open. Hugo got a broom compass from Ron, Fred got a joke book from Bill, and Victoire received new robes from the Delcour family.

When James' name was read out, the tag read 'from dad'. Harry was surprised, he did not recognise the parcel, and James had already opened the presents he had bought. Trying not to let his confusion show, he looked at Hermione, a small smile playing on her lips told Harry she knew more about this than he did.

A gasp from James drew the attention of everyone. Falling from the package was a think, shimmering cloak. Harry smiled; his invisibility cloak!

"Wow dad. How did you get this?"

Harry looked at Ron, remembering the Christmas he had got the cloak anonymously. Unlike Harry, James knew exactly what it was. He threw it on and disappeared, just as Ron had seen Harry do so much in their Hogwarts years.

"My dad gave it to me." James started; they never talked about dad's parents. Then again, he thought his dad's name was Dean, so what did he know?

"Wow, thanks dad!" Launching himself at Harry he knocked him backwards with the force of him landing on his dad.

'Thanks' Harry mouthed at Hermione.

She nodded, and gave Rose her new cat basket.

That night at dinner James was especially silent. Harry thought he knew why. Every year at Christmas they left a seat for Louise. Though James couldn't remember his mum, he had seen enough pictures to know what she looked like, and he knew that he missed her.

Around the Weasley's crowded table, there was no room for an empty seat, nor did he want to be the one to bring up Louise; another reminder that he ran away. Though Ron was fine now, Ginny was another matter. She had barely spoken to him since he told her he would stay, as if she didn't believe him.

When James left the table between courses, Molly was the first to notice. Giving Harry a nudge, she sent him after the small boy.

He found James in Bill's room, now set out with four small camp beds, leaning over his trunk. Harry knew what he would be looking for, the picture of his mum that he carried everywhere.

"It's gone." James' face was tearful. He could have hit himself, how could he lose the last link to his mother? "The picture's gone".

Harry cursed inwardly; he knew how much the picture meant to James. He knew how he felt, as when he looked on a picture of his parents.

"James, don't worry. You've probably left it at Hogwarts. You can find it when you get ba-"

James shook his head, his dad didn't understand. "But then she's not here. I don't want to leave her." James treated the picture as a memory, and almost as an invisible friend, knowing that it meant she could be with him.

"Come on James, Lou's probably having a right good time in the castle. And the house elves will take care of her till you get back."

James' mouth hung open, all upset forgotten.

"There are house elves at Hogwarts?"

Harry chuckled, nodding, and led his son downstairs. He remembered Hermione saying the same thing during her SPEW promotion phase. He wondered if anything had ever come of it.

They appeared in the dining room when the others were half way through pudding. Helping himself to large portions of Molly's amazing cooking, he watched James do the same. He thanked his lucky stars that James looked up to him so much; Harry hated confrontation and explanations, and knew that this Christmas could have needed so many of those, but his son had just accepted it, almost as if he had already known.

He was about to go up to bed that night when Ginny called him from the kitchen. Bill and Charlie had finally succeeded in getting the children to bed and the house was quiet. Not silent, as nine children whispered to each other, but quieter than the hectic day had been.

"Dad found this, it's not moving so it must be one of yours."

She held out a picture to him, and Harry recognised it immediately. James' lost photo of Louise.

"Yeah, it's James's." He said, taking it from her. "He'll be glad to have it back."

"Is that why he was upset earlier?" Ginny was trying to build up the courage to ask about the woman, but couldn't quite bring herself to do it.

"Yeah, he doesn't have many photos of his mum, so he's quite protective of them."

"His mum?"

The photo didn't look too old, though the baby was tiny. James's mum. That meant…

Harry's wife.

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, especially loyd1989 for his help in writing the last few chapters. Thanks also to storyranger, ****CaliciaHGluv****Aricia1 and Cad2u for their reviews. ****I'm using the reviews to help write the next few chapters so please keep them coming.**


	7. Louise

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

"Is Ginny OK?"

"I think so, why?"

"She went a bit funny when I was talking to her last night."

"She gave you back the picture Arthur found."

"Yeah, but Mione, it was really queer. She was fine and we were talking normally, then she went really funny when I mentioned James doesn't have many pictures of his mum."

There was an elongated pause before Hermione decided she couldn't avoid telling Harry what she suspected.

"Harry. She can add. She knows that to be James's mum, she was probably your wife."

"Oh."

"You're going to need to talk to her."

"I know."

Harry had met Hermione coming down the stairs on Boxing Day. He presumed Ginny was still in her room, the door was closed and the kids were all downstairs.

He had a pretty good idea of what the conversation could entail and decided he needed to do it on a full stomach. He was not surprised to see than Ron had beaten him down to breakfast.

Sitting at the table with James, Hugo and Fred, they seemed to be having a competition of who could make the most mess with their breakfast. Molly seemed oblivious to the massacre of food going on behind her as she served Harry and Hermione with a full breakfast.

"I thought we'd have a quiet day today," Molly addressed them as they began to eat. "The kids will want to try out their new things and make as much mess as possible." She sighed at the thought of the extra cleaning. "Oh, and Xenophilius Lovegood owled me last week, Luna's come back for Christmas, so I'm sure she'd like to see you all." Her eyes twinkled in Harry's direction as she turned back to the breakfast.

"How is Luna?" Harry assumed Hermione would know.

"Great I think. Married Newt Scamander a few years after Ron and I married. Ron likes to tell it as if they met at our wedding, but I doubt it. Her daughter's two years below Hugo and James, and she's pregnant again now.

When Ginny appeared in the kitchen later, she was forced into having breakfast by her mum, though Harry was the only one to notice she didn't eat much of it. Everyone else was too busy trying to stop the twins having a food fight. Despite their efforts quite a lot of breakfast ended up around the room. Even Hermione noticed when Ginny did not react to bacon landing in her hair.

As soon as order was restored; the twins were sent outside and a massive game of Quiddich was started; adults against children. With Harry, Ginny and Hermione absent, the game was rather uneven, but nobody was complaining.

"We could go and see Luna now if you want Harry." Suggested Hermione. Harry nodded in answer and looked towards Ginny. Hermione took the hint. "You coming with us Ginny?"

Ginny gave Harry a funny look, shook her head and left the kitchen. Harry and Hermione left the house in silence, though it didn't last long.

"It's bothering her, isn't it?"

"I think so. You did tell her that you have a child with a lady who isn't her. She always thought the two of you would be together. And now she's confused because you didn't bring your wife with you."

Harry was shocked. It occurred to him that he'd never mentioned Louise to any of them in detail. Had he even said her name? He couldn't remember, but he didn't think so.

"I thought James would have told Hugo."

"Well if he has, Hugo's kept it awfully quiet. But he's a boy Harry; they probably don't talk about that sort of thing. Knowing them, as deep was it gets is most likely where they live." She paused, as if deciding whether Harry needed to know the rest of what she planned to say. "She thinks you and Louise are still together. That's why she's so upset. It's like she's back in second year again and doesn't think you'll be interested in Ron's little sister."

Harry was shocked. How could he tell Ginny that Louise wasn't around any more? He'd never gone into how she died with anyone except Louise's parents. Even James had had to be told by his grandparents.

"Harry." Hermione broke into his thoughts. "Go and talk to her. We'll go and see Luna later."

"How?"

"What?"

"How do I tell Ginny about Louise?" Harry was aware it sounded pathetic, but he genuinely had no idea.

"They need to be your words. But start by telling her where your wife is now." Hermione gave him a hint, knowing that otherwise he wouldn't get anywhere.

Harry shook his head. "I can't. I've never told anyone how Louise di-"

Hermione went pale. His wife was dead? Divorced she'd been expecting, but not this. No wonder he was so worried about talking to Ginny.

Harry went on, oblivious to Hermione's change of heart. "I didn't even tell James."

Hermione looked shocked at this. "He doesn't know?"

"He knows. His grandparents, Louise's parents told him. Then the doctors explained it. A few counsellors have tried too." Harry attempted to make it sound light hearted, but he knew it wasn't.

Hermione hugged Harry tight. It was all she could think of to do.

"She needs to know. At the very least she needs to know you're not together. If you don't want to tell her the rest, tell her about James a bit. She likes him I think."

Harry nodded glumly, his mind already cycling through possibilities.

As they turned back to the house, Hermione looked up. Staring back at her from a window was Ginny, her red hair framing her face. She smiled at her, but Ginny did not smile back. The sooner Harry explained the better, thought Hermione.

Harry climbed the stairs slowly, not exactly sure what he was going to say to Ginny. What did you say to the first person you had loved? Especially when she knew you had found someone else. And thought that someone else was still around.

Knocking on Ginny's door produced no reply. He was about to call in to her when the bathroom door opened behind him. Turning, he found himself facing Ginny; though not the happy girl he remembered dating. He hadn't realised how thin she'd got; she must have lost a lot of weight since September. Red tinges around her eyes told him that she'd been crying. He didn't know that she'd been watching him and Hermione, and realised that Hermione knew more about Harry than she did.

Squeezing past Harry she slipped into her room, leaving the door open behind her. Harry took this to mean he was allowed to follow her, and indeed she didn't complain as he came in behind her and closed the door.

Facing Ginny across her bedroom, Harry still had no idea what he was going to say to her. Once upon a time words would have come to him so easily. But he was a different person now, and his ability to say what he meant seemed to have been greatly reduced.

"Ginny, I-" He faltered, seeing the tears slip down her cheeks as he began to speak.

"Ginny, don't. Please." He crossed the small space between them and made to hug her. She pushed him away and turned her back to him.

Ginny swore inwardly at her inability to have a conversation with Harry without crying. But he's the only one she ever loved, and she doesn't want to believe that he found somebody else. And now he's standing right behind her after being gone for fifteen years.

"You never said goodbye." She choked the words out between silent sobs, her body shaking with the effort of not launching herself at him. But she needed answers now, or she'd never forgiver him, or herself.

"I couldn't." Now Harry was fighting a similar urge to cry. "If I'd seen you I would have never have been able to leave."

"I didn't want you to leave."

"I had to-"

"You didn't have to do anything." Ginny span round violently to face him. "You could have stayed here. Everyone would have accepted you. You'd just defeated Voldemort; nobody would have cared that you couldn't do magic. You were the saviour of the wizarding world and you vanished."

"I di-"

"No." Ginny was not going to let him interrupt. She could feel the tears running down her cheeks and knew that this was it. She was not going to listen to reason; she was going to let him know how she felt, and he was going to listen to it, because she'd missed him for fifteen years and he was not getting away from her again.

**Hope you're still enjoying the chapters. Two chapters ago I said two more to come… well there's probably four more to come now at least. This story keeps getting longer; the plan's gone out of the window. Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming please so I can improve the story for you dedicated readers!**


	8. Past and Present

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

"We waited years for you. Any aurors who weren't trying to round up death eaters were trying to find you. Most people thought you'd been kidnapped. Hermione and Ron didn't know where you were; and I hadn't heard from you in days."

Ginny knew her thoughts were coming out in one jumbled mess, but she didn't care. Harry's clever, he'll get the gist.

"The last thing you ever said to me was 'see you soon'. You didn't even say that, it was a letter. I held on to that for years, convinced that you would come back to find me. When had you let me down before? The great Harry Potter didn't let people down."

Her voice was full of scorn, and it was this that hurt Harry more than what she was saying. She sounded like Fudge or Scrimegour had during the periods everyone thought him a deluded psychopath.

"Then dad came home and said they wanted to declare you dead. There were rewards for you to come back, everyone was looking for you but YOU NEVER CAME!"

She was screaming now, everything she had bottled up for fifteen years coming tumbling out in one mess of an accusation.

"Fifteen years I waited for you Harry. Then you didn't even tell us who you were, just waited for your kid to introduce us. You didn't care, did you? How much we missed you while you were the other side of the frigging country. We thought you were dead!"

Harry was shocked. He knew she was mad, but not this mad. He did what he had thought was best for everyone.

Ginny was sobbing on the floor, tired of shouting, tired of hoping that he would come back for her.

He put his arms around the ball of Ginny now hunched on the floor. He was relieved to find that she didn't throw him off. Whatever she had thought, he had never meant to upset her.

"I didn't want to upset you." Harry kept his voice low, but a break in Ginny's sobbing told him that she was listening.

"I thought if I didn't say goodbye it would be easier, that you could just move on. We didn't need the attention; I didn't want you to have to go through the world finding out what happened to me. It was safest to vanish. I thought Ron and Hermione would figure it out, they knew what was going on. I guess I thought I'd come back at some point. I never meant for you to be left in the dark."

"Why didn't you come back?" Ginny whispered. Harry took it was a good sign that she was talking to him.

"I didn't know you were looking. Owls didn't find me; I didn't get the wizarding newspapers. I didn't have any way to contact anyone."

Ginny hadn't forgiven him yet, but she was becoming more and more interested in exactly what had stopped him coming back. 'Or who', she realised with a sinking feeling in her heart.

"Where did you go?"

"Devon; my primary school took us on a school trip there once; it was my first weekend without Dudley. The Dursleys didn't want to pay but the school took me anyway. I slept on the streets the first night, until an old lady took pity on me. She came up to me from behind; if I'd still had my wand I think I would have cursed her."

"You didn't have your wand?"

"Not to hand; I didn't have a use for it. I've still got it in the attic though."

Without realising it, Ginny had stopped crying, she was finally going to find out what happened to Harry. "So what did the old lady do? I'm assuming she didn't curse you."

"No. Once I'd calmed down she took me to the local hostel. I managed to convince them I was telling the truth about having no parents and not knowing where my relatives were. They let me stay there on the condition I got a job that week. It was only after Tesco's turned me down that they realised I didn't have any qualifications, so they got me into a boarding school."

He paused, aware that Ginny no longer looked like she wanted to hit him. They were now sitting on the floor next to each other, leaning against the bed.

"That's why I didn't come back. It reminded me of Hogwarts, except I wasn't missing anything. I could do the same as everyone else. I was older than them of course, but we were doing the same things. English and Chemistry instead of Charms though. But I made friends there."

Ginny wanted to ask if that's where he met his wife, perhaps Harry saw this in her eyes, for he hurried on.

"I got really stuck into my A-levels; with all the work I was doing I didn't have much time to think about magic. Sure, everything took longer, and I'd find myself thinking of spells that could help whenever something happened, but that happened less and less as time wore on. I got really good grades apparently. Not quite Outstanding, but high enough to get a vocational placement with a local company."

So much of what he was saying was foreign to Ginny; what was chemistry? Or an A-level? Or Tesco's? Harry didn't give her any time to ask him; now he had started he knew he wanted to go all the way through; that was the only way he'd be able to tell her about Louise.

Harry swallowed, realising what was coming next.

"That's where I met Louise."

Next to him, Ginny tightened her muscles protectively, afraid of what she might be about to hear.

"She was working on the floor below me, in accounting. I thought I was going mad when I first saw her; I thought she was you. She was eating alone in the canteen, and all I could see was her long red hair. I went over to her and we got talking."

'Got talking' it sounded so innocent. Ginny was not sure she wanted to hear what was coming next.

"I asked her to marry me less than a year later. I finally had someone I could call a family. Everyone said it was too soon, but we decided not to pay any attention to them. And then James came along and people stopped talking behind our backs. I got promoted to assistant head of marketing and even her parents started to like me."

Harry felt the tears gathering in his eyes as he thought about that was going to come next. He had spent years trying not to cry when Louise was mentioned, but he always failed.

"I remember the day she-"

He stopped, and tried a different tack.

"It was only two weeks after James's birthday; he was three so I took him to buy a new bike. We were paying when they rang-"

The words catching in his throat, he tried again.

"She'd been at work, and they let her off early. I've spent years wishing that she'd worked all day. That someone had called her back. That I'd rung her to say I'd pick her up. That she'd caught the bus instead of trying to walk-"

The words were all catching in his throat; like they had when he'd tried to tell James what had happened. But it was no easier telling Ginny that it had been to tell a three year old boy where his mum had gone.

Ginny was thoroughly confused. She didn't know what Harry was trying to tell her, or at least she hoped she didn't. She had a feeling that she might have been completely wrong to think that this Louise was still around.

Harry hung his head as he forced the words out.

"It was a six minute walk home. Another few minutes and she'd have been safe. Two cars crashed into each other; one of them spun off into her. The ambulance didn't make it in time. I wasn't there for her."

There; he'd said it. He didn't want to look at Ginny, didn't want to know what she thought of him now she knew everything he'd been denying.

**Hope this answers a few questions. Let me know what you think by reviewing please!**


	9. Revelations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

Silence.

Ginny wanted to say something, but couldn't think of anything.

She hadn't seen Harry look so defeated since the night at the ministry that Sirius had died.

All her anger had evaporated. She'd been mad at him for not coming back, but how could you be mad at someone who had lost so much?

James was three years old at the time, she thought, so it happened about eight years ago. Over half the time he'd been gone he'd spent alone.

And Louise looked like her? She hadn't noticed it in the picture; though she'd been a little preoccupied with the thought Harry had replaced her. How stupid that seemed now; she just hadn't bothered to think about it. Of course she wasn't around; or she would have joined them for Christmas.

But he hadn't been planning on coming back, had he? If James hadn't met Hugo, she wouldn't even know he was alive.

"Did you think about coming back?" Her voice was so soft she wondered if she had really spoken, until Harry responded.

"Yes. When James started showing that he was going to be a wizard. He blew up the stove when his pancake stuck to the ceiling. He kept reminding me of people I knew. I wanted to come back, but didn't know how. I didn't even know if you can get into Diagon Alley without magic."

She wanted to forgive him; he had so many reasons, and she didn't want to be another burden on him, but niggling at the back of her head was that little voice 'he found someone else while you were waiting'.

"I've never tried." The coldness of her voice shocked Harry. "We'd better get down for lunch. The kids have stopped playing Quiddich." Gesturing out of the window, she left the room before Harry had time to react.

He couldn't believe it. The first person he had managed to tell about Louise, and she couldn't even stay in the same room as him any more.

Suddenly he didn't really feel like lunch. Instead of following Ginny down the stairs, he climbed up to his own room in the attic and sat on the bed. Pulling a large photo from his bag, he stared at it. It was the only photo of Louise that James didn't know about. Three days before she died they had gone to the beach. She was running to the sea, looking behind her to see if Harry was giving chase. He had tried, though with a toddler and a camera it had not been an easy task.

Harry simply sat there as he had done so much since James had left for Hogwarts, staring at the picture as if it would vanish.

Ginny's arrival in the kitchen had shocked several people. Molly was surprised that her daughter wanted to eat, but promptly served her a large plate of sandwiches. Hermione was stunned to see Ginny so soon, but also worried that Harry had not followed her. Ron and the children had not noticed anything, and were having a sandwich eating contest. Percy however, met Hermione's gaze and glanced towards the door and the ceiling.

Hermione nodded, but glanced at Molly, who would not let them leave until the food was cleared. Even at the rate Ron was going that could be a while. Percy nodded purposely at her, and then started a rather loud discussion about the latest ministry propaganda. While all gazes were on Percy, many faces glazing over already at the thought of another lecture, Hermione slipped from the room and up several flights of stairs.

Ginny did not notice Hermione go. She barely noticed the food she was eating, or the food fest happening opposite her. Her mind was reeling at what Harry had just told her. So he wasn't married? He still hadn't come back to find her. Surely he knew they had missed him. And she had tried to send him owls, but he'd never replied. Now he claimed he's never heard from them. Was he telling the truth or making excuses? Once upon a time she would have known in her heart if he was lying. Not any more apparently. Perhaps that said something about the two of them. They'd drifted too far apart, but did she want to get close to him again?

Hermione was not surprised to find Harry in his room, but she had not expected to see him crying. He looked like the small boy she remembered comforting in younger years at Hogwarts. Suspecting that all had not gone well with Ginny, she crossed the room, stopping short as she realised who the photo was of.

"You told her then?"

"She just left; barely even said anything."

"She's just upset."

Harry nodded. "I told her everything. Why I left. Why I didn't come back."

"Perhaps she's just in shock. Until earlier she thought you were still married."

"Maybe that would have been easier."

"What? Harry how can you say that?"

At Hermione's outrage, neither of them heard the floorboard creek outside the room. Someone else was escaping Percy's lecture.

"I've never loved anyone as much as I did Ginny. Yes, I loved Louise; she filled an empty space in me where my magic and family used to be. When I left I didn't just leave a world behind; you lot had become my family, Molly was like the mum I never knew. I always thought of you and Ron as my new brother and sister. I would never have told you that, but that's what I left behind. I didn't want to come back in case that was gone. None of you wrote to me."

"We tried Harry. But our owls were looking for Harry Potter, not Dean Finnegan."

Harry suddenly realised what he had lost by changing his name.

"I didn't want to tell Louise what I was; I never changed my name back. It was the first one I thought of when the old lady found me on the beach."

"Ginny missed you all these years. Even fifteen years later she wouldn't let go. She kept saying that everything reminded her of you, and we kept telling her it couldn't be you, because you were gone. I think she's mad at everyone, but she's taking it out on you because it's easiest."

"I know. I wish I hadn't left, but staying wasn't an option."

"I know Harry, but she doesn't. When you left she was younger than all of us. She'd lost lots of friends, seen people die, and lost one of her older brothers. She needed you here to re-build her life, but instead she had to deal with the fact you might be dead as well."

Harry swallowed back tears.

"I never meant to hurt anyone. I didn't think about what would happen. And once I left I couldn't come back."

"I know, Harry. And Ginny does too; she just needs time to come round. She's getting used to this in her own way."

"I never told her that I tried to write to her. After Lou died I tied to write to her, but my letters came back unopened. The postman couldn't find the house. I tried writing to Hogwarts; I know Petunia managed it once, but the post office rang me to complain about the letters to places that didn't exist. I tried to owl her, but the owls I tried to use just looked confused at my attempts. By the time James got his letter I'd given up all hope. Then I didn't want to hope, in case she'd moved on. I thought I'd find her with a husband and several kids and I didn't want to find that out. I didn't want to lose her again."

Ginny listened outside the door with tears in her eyes.

**Wow, these chapters are getting harder and harder to write. Several more chapters and developments to come so please review and tell me what you think. If you have any suggestions for plot or improvements then please let me know! Thanks for all your help and keep reading!**


	10. Listening

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

He'd tried to find her? She had no idea. She thought that he didn't want to, that once he'd found a family of his own he wouldn't have wanted to find them again.

She hadn't known this was where Hermione had come, but the silence in the kitchen; broken only by Percy's lecture, had made her realise how selfish leaving Harry like that had been.

She toyed with the idea of revealing that she was listening, but wanted to hear how much else Harry would reveal to Hermione. It was easier to listen when Harry was not talking to her, because she didn't have to formulate an answer for him.

"After Louise died people kept telling me I needed to find someone else. I didn't want James to grow up without a mum, but that's how it worked out. I went on a few dates with people, friends set me up all over the place, but none of them came close to Louise. I hadn't thought of Ginny for years; every time her name came up I realised what I'd left behind. Then one morning James asked me who Ginny was."

"What?" Hermione was clearly as confused as Ginny was, and she was glad Mione was asking the questions for her.

"Yeah, I nearly choked on my breakfast. Apparently I'd been calling her name in my sleep, but he'd assumed I was on the phone. I told him she was a friend from work; I don't think he's made the connection with the Ginny he knows now, Hugo's aunt."

"You'd been dreaming of G-"

"Don't make it sound so past tense."

"Oh, Harry. I had no idea." Ginny could hear movement as if Hermione had made to hug Harry. "You need to tell Ginny how you feel, she's mad at you because she still loves you after all this time and thinks you don't love her back."

"I do, but I can't-. I don't know ho-. I wante-. Loui-."

"Harry" Hermione interrupted his vague attempts to convey something and nothing. "I know I never met Louise, but I'm guessing she would have wanted you and James to be happy. And that doesn't include forcing yourself to be lonely for the rest of your life just because she's gone. I know Ginny likes you, that's why she's being like this. And that's why she's listening outside the room."

"What?"

Ginny was as shocked as Harry. She hadn't made any noise at all, she'd been careful to make sure they couldn't know she was here. Drat Hermione for being so clever, why did that lady have to know everything? Resisting the urge to flee back down the stairs, she stayed where she was, hoping that Hermione was just shooting in the dark and didn't really know she was out here.

Back in Harry's room, Harry was looking at Hermione as if she was mad. Deciding that Ginny was neither going to run or come in, she winked meaningfully at Harry.

"Oops, must have imagined the floorboard squeaking then. How much longer are you planning to stay?"

While talking she made movements with her head and arms trying to tell Harry to look outside the door.

"A few more days I guess. I'll probably leave when the kids go back to school; Molly and Arthur deserve their peace and quiet back after this house invasion."

Having said enough, Harry decided to trust Hermione and moved quietly towards the door. Having almost reached it, he could see the mass of long red hair between the door and the frame. He knew it must be Ginny, it was too tall to be any of the children and too straight to be Molly. He nodded at Hermione, who beamed.

"Are you going to tell Ginny how you feel?"

"I don't know. How do I know that she still feels like she used to? I'm not the person she fell in love with, I've got a muggle life and a kid now."

"I don't think she's going to care Harry. She's been waiting for you for fifteen years now. She knows why you didn't come back, and unless she's more mad than anyone realises, she's going to forgive you, because she's still as in love with you as she was in our seventh year."

"Mione, I-"

Hermione winked at Harry and raised her voice slightly so that Ginny outside the door could not miss a word.

"She knows she walked out on you today. If she feels like I think she does, she'll just want some alone time with you. We'll go to Luna's and she can show you around the garden or something."

Harry heard the stairs creak slightly, and knew that Ginny had got the message. He beamed at Hermione.

"We're lucky you're so clever."

Hermione had the courtesy to blush.

By mid afternoon James was whining about having missed the showing of chicken run because the Weasley's didn't have a television. Harry was reminded of Dudley slightly, and laughed as James then had to explain TV to Arthur.

"And there are people in the box?"

"No, you see them in the box, but it's a picture that comes along the wires from the studio."

At this point Arthur looked at Harry for help, and James took the opportunity do run outside. Harry promised to show Arthur a TV next time he could, agreeing that James was not very good at explaining muggle items.

"Ron, Harry and I were going to visit Luna, would you like to come?"

Ron looked like he wanted to say no, but a piercing glance from Hermione convinced him that was not a good idea.

"I'll get my coat then."

"Coming Ginny?"

Ginny hesitated, but nodded, avoiding Harry's eyes. She suspected that Harry knew she'd been outside him room earlier, but she wasn't about to admit it to him now.

Luna's house looked exactly as Harry remembered it, except the handmade signs now read 'Luna Scamander, The Quibbler', 'Keep off the Dirigible plums' and 'Fish your own Plimpies'. Harry grinned, she obviously hadn't changed.

"What happened to her dad?"

"Oh he's around. Owl's mum a lot. We've never told her exactly why we hate him. We only go over when Luna's back and he's never spoke to us. Wonder why."

Harry grinned, he was not about to forgive Xenophilius for trying to sell them to death eaters during their search for the horcruxes.

Luna came out to greet them. Harry noticed that her butterbeer cork necklace was gone, though she was still wearing her Radish earrings.

"Harry! Wow it's good to see you. I thought I'd read the letter wrong when Molly said you were back."

She ushered them into the lounge and served them with drinks, Harry was very glad to see she had not inherited her fathers taste in refreshments. He much preferred his tea to whatever he had been served last time.

Luna, Harry noticed, was the only person not to pester him with questions about where he had been. Either she had already been told, or she was just accepting that it was really that easy for him to come back. Whatever the reason, Harry preferred it that way.

"Ginny, why don't you show Harry around the lake? He's never been here before."

Ginny tried to look surprised, but she couldn't quite pull it off. Ron and Luna didn't notice anything, but Hermione grinned to herself at the knowledge that she had been right, Ginny had been listening.

"Erm, OK." Was all she managed to stutter.

Luna filled the ensuing silence. "Take some nets with you; Harry won't have been fishing for Plimpies yet."

Harry accepted a net, wondering what on earth Plimpies were, knowing that he had only ever heard them mentioned whilst being in the Lovegood household.

As he and Ginny crossed the garden, he wondered how the lake was not frozen, with the snow everywhere it was absolutely freezing. He voiced this thought to Ginny.

She looked incredulously at him. "There's a warming charm around the lake."

"Oh yeah." Magic; of course. He never thought of that as an answer anymore.

There was a difficult pause, and Harry was trying to think of something to say when Ginny beat him to it. Having decided to come right out and say it, she couldn't think of away to fit it into the conversation, so resolved to just tell him, straight out.

"I'm not really mad at you. I just keep thinking that you're going to go away and leave me behind again."

Harry was shocked, but knew that if she really felt as Hermione thought she did, this conversation could only go one way.

"I'm not going to stay here forever, that's not fair on your parents. But I do have my own house now, and it can feel a bit empty at times."

Ginny couldn't believe it, was he really saying what she thought he was?

**Well, you can tell it's the weekend! I'm writing these chapters fast now because I've got a full timetable next week so won't be able to update then. Keep reviewing for me please and I'll update as frequently as I can!**


	11. Telling the Family

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

"You want me to come and live with you?"

"Well, it was just a thought. It doesn't matter, I just thought-"

Harry was forced to stop speaking by the fact Ginny had decided to kiss him.

"I'd love to."

"Really?"

"I've been waiting fifteen years for you to say that. I think it's about time I stopped living with my parents."

"Excellent. I'd hoped you'd say that."

She grinned. "When can I move in?"

"Well, I'm going to have to run this by James first. I don't think anyone's told him about us. He might be a bit weirded out at the idea of you moving in."

"Because of Louise?" Ginny figured it was a good idea to know now if she was going to be allowed to mention Louise's name

Harry faltered. "Yeah, that and the fact he's just found out I'm someone else. The wizarding world is going to notice if you move in with me I think."

By the time they returned to the house, Ginny was thoroughly happy. She was finally moving in with Harry. She'd waited for him, and he was finally hers. Harry was ecstatic that she had agreed; having dreamed of her for nearly seven years he knew that nothing about their love had changed one bit. She was still the girl he remembered loving in his sixth and seventh years.

Hermione was waiting with Ron by the door. They said their goodbyes, and apologized to Luna for not managing to catch any Plimpies. In all the excitement they had forgotten about the nets.

"Well?" Hermione caught their arms as they walked up the road. "You're both looking like Christmas has come again early!"

Harry just smiled. Ginny whispered something to Hermione.

"Molly is going to hate you Harry, she always complains that the house is too quiet when we all go; now you're taking Ginny from her."

But she was grinning. Ron took a moment to compute what Hermione had said into English.

"You're moving in with him Ginny?"

She nodded, still smiling.

Ron remained silent, but Harry thought nothing of it. He did not see the warning look Hermione sent Ron.

Instead of smiling, Harry realised something, and he let go of Ginny's hand.

"Can we keep this quiet for a bit? I think James needs to be the first to know. I don't know how he's going to take it after everything else that's happened this holiday."

Ginny nodded to show she understood.

"It'll be fine."

Back at the house, they were met with more chaos than ever before had graced the Burrow. Hermione took charge.

"EVERYBODY STOP!"

Amazingly, everyone did, literally stopping mid action.

"What- is- going- on? It was amazing how scary she could sound, thought Harry.

There was food everywhere. It looked as if several fireworks had just been set off; David and Benjamin were trying to hide a Weasley's joke box set behind their backs, Fred was holding a pie in a threatening manner, clearly mid-argument with Victoire. Hugo had hold of Lucille's hair and was pulling it, while she held his broom just out of reach. Thomas was on the table, clearly trying to come to his sister's aid, but only managing to knock the books off the shelves. Rose and James had plainly been in the middle of a game of wizarding chess, James was under the table with several pawns in his hand, while Rose was trying to repair the board where a book had fallen on it.

Before Hermione could start yelling, Harry got a quick word in.

"While everyone's in here, I might take James off to have a quick word."

Hermione nodded and James quickly ran out of the kitchen, followed by Harry. Behind them, Hermione started yelling at a level that would have put Sirius's mum to shame.

"Thanks dad, Hugo said his mum can be really evil when she starts shouting."

Harry laughed, remembering the birds Hermione had once set on Ron when he annoyed her.

"Yeah, I think I've seen that side of her. You're lucky I wanted to talk to you then."

He led James into the lounge, relieved to see that it was empty except piles of newly opened Christmas presents.

"Is everything Ok dad?"

"Yeah. Now I know this hasn't been the greatest holiday in terms of everything you've found out."

"You mean that you're somebody else?"

"Well, yes that."

"Can I just say then…?" James looked as if he had been practicing what he was going to say. "I'm not mad at you. Hugo showed me some of his mum's books, and you're in loads of them. I think I'd have wanted to hide as well if I'd lost my magic after all that."

"Are you serious?"

James nodded, and Harry hugged his son tightly.

"Thanks James, that means a lot."

"Just don't tell Hermione we borrowed her books, we weren't supposed to be in her room."

Harry smiled to indicate he wouldn't.

"But dad, there is one thing." Harry's heart sank; he should have known he wouldn't get off that easily. "Are you going to go out with Hugo's aunt Ginny? Because he heard his dad say that you went out before, and she doesn't have a boyfriend."

"Do you and Hugo spend your time listening into conversations? You know everything before I tell you it."

"Not _all _of our time; just most of it." James grinned cheekily.

"Right, I'll have to remember that next time I'm having a private conversation." Harry was tempted to stick his tongue out at his son, but thought that would be childish. Then he decided to do it anyway.

"Ginny and I were together for a few years while I was at Hogwarts. I guess we both thought we'd end up together. Then I left and she's never forgiven me for that. But we were thinking we might make another go of it."

"Would she move in?"

"I thought I might ask her to. Would you be alright with that?

James paused. "Did you love mum?"

"What sort of a question is that? Of course I loved your mum. At that time I thought of Ginny as a high-school crush (just don't tell her that). Your mum completed me, for the first time I had a family I loved."

"Erugh, too mushy dad."

"Typical boy. Ok, yes I did love your mum, and I always will. But I know that your mum always wanted us to be happy more than anything."

"Is this the Ginny I heard you talking to on the phone that night?"

"You remember that?"

"Yeah"

"Erm, then yes it is."

"But they don't have a telephone here."

Drat. Caught out again.

"She's got a mobile."

Harry caught a cheeky grin from his son, but thankfully he dropped it there.

"Does Ginny know about mum?"

"Yeah, I've told her a lot about your mum and me."

"If she moves in, will she keep doing magic?"

"I don't think I'll be able to stop her really James!"

"Cool! Then Hugo can come over in the holidays. I've said I'll show him my playstationII."

"His granddad will love that" Harry remarked dryly.

"Will you marry Ginny?"

"Let's not move too fast."

Harry ruffled James' hair and hugged him, relieved that he had taken it so well. He'd have to remember to thank Hugo for showing James those books.

"We'd better go. I'm sure Hermione will be done yelling now."

James looked relieved and followed Harry into the kitchen. Sure enough it was sparkling clean and cleared of children. Hermione looked up questioningly as they entered.

"Dad's going to ask Ginny to move in." James announced to the kitchen at large, which was really just Ron and Hermione. Mione had the sense to look surprised and launched herself at Harry, relieved that James seemed to have taken it well.

"That's great Harry, she'll be so pleased."

Before Mione could launch into a spiel, James seemed to have remembered something.

"Dad, there's something else."

Hermione immediately left them alone and returned to the sink, but Harry could tell that both she and Ron were listening,

"Now I know who you are, can I change my surname to Potter?"

**I hope you all liked that chapter. Please keep reviewing and I'll update when I can. Let me know what you think. Thanks!**


	12. The Untold Story

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

**Many thanks to '****ginevra-james', without whom this chapter would not have happened. Thanks for the great ideas!**

Harry was shocked "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Hugo's probably going to tell everyone anyway, and people keep telling me I don't sound very Irish. Apparently Finnegan is Irish and it was really starting to bug me. Please?"

"Yeah, I'm not going to stop you."

"Thanks dad, I'm going to go tell Hugo", and he raced off upstairs where the noise was now coming from.

George came in from the garden looking sheepish. It seemed he had been on the receiving end of Hermione's yelling.

Ron stood up. He had watched the exchange between Harry and James without a word, but he cut in before George could say anything.

"Ginny's moving in with you?"

"What?" George could not have looked more shocked if he had tried.

This was not the reaction Harry had expected. He had thought Ron at least would be pleased.

Instead, Ron and George looked like they were about to thump him.

"Ron, sit, now." Harry thought Hermione knew exactly what was going on, but at the moment he was just confused. He had thought they would be happy for him, especially seeing as it was what Ginny seemed to want.

Ron ignored her and looked at George. "She hasn't told him." George shook his head.

"Mate, you might be my best friend, but she's my little sister, and I'm not going to let you hurt her like that again."

"Ron, stop. Ginny doesn't want him to know. Not now."

"Doesn't want me to know what, Mione?" Hermione refused to answer Harry, instead she muttered something about seeing if Molly needed help, and fled the room.

Harry had a feeling that he was about to find out something that he didn't want to.

"George?"

"She hasn't told you what happened after she left, has she?"

"She's told me about the searches and everythin-"

"I don't mean about that Harry, I mean about her."

Harry thought back through all the conversations he had had so far with Ginny. The only thing that seemed to fit with what George was saying was how much she missed him, but that didn't seem to be a big enough reason for George and Ron to be this mad.

"Well, no, I guess she hasn't."

"I didn't think so. But you've got to know. I'm not letting you cart her off to Devon somewhere without knowing."

"Knowing what?"

Ron broke in. "George, are you sure you want to tell him? Ginny's not going to like it."

"I don't care. He has to know. You go make sure she doesn't come in. If I've already told him, she can't do anything about it."

Ron left, leaving Harry and George alone in the kitchen. Harry faced George, wondering what he could be about to tell him that was so important he was going to ignore Ron, Ginny and Hermione's wishes to tell him.

"Look, Ginny's too nice to tell you what happened to her after you left, but I'm not."

George sat down at the table, and Harry took the seat across from him. Now he was convinced George was not about to thump him, he was happy to sit and listen. Though Harry thinks he might punch George if he doesn't hurry up and tell him.

"Right after you left, I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention. I was a bit more bothered that Fred wasn't coming back than that you'd been gone a few days. But Ginny didn't se it like that. Her little world came crashing down around her. You were the only one she thought she'd loved, and she wasn't going to give that up lightly. She was the one who raised the alarm that triggered all those ministry searches. Every time it looked as though they'd stop, she went and saw Shacklebolt to make sure they didn't."

As George paused, Harry had a fleeting mental image of a smaller Ginny, a determined look on her face, entering the ministry; not caring that everyone else was twice her age.

"When they called off the searches, two years after you left, she broke. She spent a solid two weeks crying, refused to see anyone and wouldn't eat. Literally locked herself in her room; eventually Bill had to knock the door down to get her out. The only thing that had kept her going was the knowledge that other people believed you were still alive."

"The ministry declared you legally dead, rumor has it that the ministry even spoke to the muggle ministers to look for you. Ginny was the only one who wouldn't move on; everyone else had re-built their lives after the battle, but Ginny's ended when they stopped looking."

Here George stopped, faltering for the last time. Harry worried what could be coming next for George to be so upset, but George was wondering for the first time if Harry really needed to hear what was coming next. When he spoke, his voice was quiet.

"She tried to kill herself a month later. We think she just couldn't see a life without you; she'd been convinced the two of you would grow old together. Hermione found her on her bed with a load of empty canisters around her. She tried to overdose. Nearly managed it; the healers said if Hermione had been much later they wouldn't have been able to do anything."

Harry was in shock. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't this.

George went on. Once Harry knew the whole story he could make his own mind up.

"That's why she's still living here. Mum won't let her leave because she's scared she might do it again. She's been living here since St Mungo's let her out the first time."

"The first time?" Repeated Harry. There was more than one time?

"Yeah. She didn't try to kill herself again; but she kept trying to forget you. We'd come home for the weekend to find her out cold on the floor surrounded by bottles. Usually it was just butterbeer, but sometimes she'd find a stash of something stronger and we'd have to apparate her to St Mungo's."

"How long?" Harry's voice was a whisper. What had he done to her?

"For about a year and a half in the end. None of us were talking about it to each other. Mum and Dad would tell each other if they found her, but Ron and I didn't want to upset them so kept it quiet. If the girls found her they'd put her to bed and not tell anyone. So we all knew what was going on, but we only knew a third of it. Then she got drunk one Christmas, and nobody looked particularly shocked. It was Angelina who figured out what had been going on. We think she was getting herself so drunk she passed out about three times a week."

"Oh my God." Harry couldn't think of anything else to say. He knew she'd been upset, but not this upset. She was supposed to have moved on. Not done this, it wasn't right.

"She stayed in St Mungo's for about a year after that. Mum insisted we put her in there once we knew what was going on. She hated us for it, wouldn't let us see her, but they got through to her in the end. That's how she got a job there; ended up talking to some of the patients on her ward and the healers noticed her. She sort of threw herself into work after that. We wouldn't see her for days on end; once she finally agreed to come home. She'd leave for work before we got up, work through her lunch, and come home once we were asleep. Then she started collapsing at work and St Mungo's admitted her as a patient."

"When was this? How long ago?"

Harry looked up to see Ginny in the doorway, livid.

"George." Her voice was calm and cold, with a warning note. "What did you tell him?"


	13. Doubts

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

George went pale, cursing Ron's inability to keep Ginny elsewhere.

"George, please tell me you didn't."

Harry had never seen Ginny so mad. Now he understood why Hermione and Ron had left so willingly. In their days at Hogwarts, if Ginny was this angry it usually meant someone was about to get bat-bogey hexed.

Now it was not so amusing. Ginny was clearly mad, but she was also upset. She could not believe that George had done what she had begged them all not to. Yes, it took us a great part of her life; but she wanted to start a new life with someone who didn't know every detail of her past.

She clung to the hope that they had not been discussing her; maybe she had just got the wrong end of the stick.

"I'm sorry Ginny, but he had to know. I'm not about to let you leave with him when he doesn't know what he did to you."

No hope there then. By now Hermione and Molly had also entered the kitchen. Though they did not know what was going on, Hermione suspected she knew the basics, and Molly had a shrewd suspicion what might have made her daughter so upset.

"It's not your place to tell him George. You might be my brother, but it's my personal life and it's my decision who I tell."

"But you wouldn't, would you? You weren't going to tell him, just let him believe you got a bit upset and moved on."

By now the two of them were screaming. Nobody had ever seen Ginny this mad, but George was not about to let his little sister get one over on him.

"He didn't need to know. It's not something that mattered any more."

"You're telling me that the guy you're going to move in with doesn't need to know THAT YOU FREAKING TRIED TO KILL YOURSELF BECAUSE OF HIM."

Ginny burst into tears. Hermione rushed forward and hugged her, while George fell back into his chair, breathing heavily. Presumably drawn by the screaming Ron, Percy and a few smaller children appeared at the door. With a puzzled look, Percy quickly drew them back upstairs, closing the door behind him. Ron remained in the kitchen, not meeting anybody's eyes.

Harry's mind was reeling. He had caused Ginny to try to kill herself. He would never have thought he could make her that upset. No wonder she hadn't wanted to forgive him, when he had been the cause of so much more hurt than he had thought possible. And how insensitive he'd been, to tell her all about Louise and his new life, but never to ask her exactly what she'd been doing all that time.

Everyone in the kitchen was staring at Harry, though even their stares could not bring him from his thoughts. Once Ginny had calmed down slightly, she turned to Harry, hoping for reassurance.

Instead she found him sitting in a chair by the table, his face set to shock, staring down at the wood as if it had just began to talk.

"Harry?" Her voice shook, as tears continued to flow down her cheeks.

This brought Harry out of his trance. The little pain filled voice reminded him so much of hearing her in the battle as he headed out to the forbidden forest, and Voldemort.

One look at Ginny, her eyes still watering, her hands clenched into fists, with eyes only for him, brought Harry back to his senses.

He immediately jumped up from his chair and crossed the short space to her. Pulling her close to him he hugged her, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He felt her hug him back, so he could feel her breathing jolting as she tried to stop herself crying.

"I'm sorry Ginny." He whispered into her hair. "I'm so sorry."

Around them; a whispered argument ranged.

"I can't believe you told them George."

"Hermione, I can't believe you were going to let them live together when Harry doesn't know what he did to her."

"No, George she's right, he knew enough for Ginny to be happy and that should have been enough for everyone."

"Don't yell at him, mum. Harry needed to know and George was the only one sensible enough to tell him."

"Yes, thank you Ron. See mum, Hermione, you don't always know what's best for everyone."

"I know what's best for my children."

Molly's last retort was not so much of a whisper; the argument had grown in volume as well as in ferocity. Harry and Ginny had released each other, though she kept hold of his hand, as if for reassurance that he was still there.

Saying nothing, Ginny pulled Harry from the room, leaving her family to argue it out among themselves. Right now all she cared about was that Harry did not get scared off by what George had told him.

"I guess he told you everything."

"Pretty much I think. He didn't seem to have much more to say when you came in."

"I didn't want you to find out like that." She was walking up the stairs in front of him, heading to his bedroom in the attic. "It was a long time ago; I wanted to concentrate on the fact that you were back. Not on the fact that you left."

They reached Harry's bedroom and sat facing each other on the bed.

"Gin, even if you come back with me now, I'm not going to be around forever. Louise taught me that much. I don't want to be the one to do that to you again."

"This is why I didn't want you to know. I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. I know they won't last forever, but by then I'll have had a lifetime with you; and you'll have had more of a chance to say goodbye."

Harry hesitated.

"Harry, you asked me to move in with you. Please don't let George do this. This was why I didn't want you to know. It was a long time ago now. I'm ready to start a new life, especially if it's with you."

Harry looked into her eyes and saw the determination hidden there. He knew he loved Ginny and would never do anything to hurt her, but did her family believe that?

"OK, but only if your family are happy; I don't want to cause a rift between you and George or anyone."

"As long as I've got you I don't really care, but I'll talk to them first."

Ginny stood up from the bed and caught her foot in the strap of Harry's bag and pulled it along. As she moved it, a small envelope, stuffed to bursting with pieces of paper, fell out of the front pocket.

"What's this?"

"Oh, nothing. No, Ginny don't."

Ginny opened it and found several letters, all addressed to her. Harry stopped trying to take the envelope from her.

"These are the letters you wrote to me? The ones you told Hermione about?"

"You heard that? How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough. Can I read them?"

Harry knew she probably would end up reading them anyway, she was forceful like that. But he wasn't sure if it was a good idea, not now; so many years after he wrote them.

"I wrote them a while ago. I just couldn't manage to send them to you. I kept thinking I'd meet you somewhere. I just carry them out of habit."

Ginny opened them, and found them to be dated between fifteen and six years ago, with a large gap in the middle.

"You didn't write while you were married?"

"No, I kept convincing myself that you'd have found a loving family. I always thought you'd have three kids already."

She sat back down and opened the first, oldest looking letter. Harry hovered nervously in the background as she began to read.

**Thanks again to '****ginevra-james' for her help with ideas. Thanks also to reviewers for the ideas started in this chapter and the next. As you review, the story gets longer and I'm really enjoying writing it. Please keep reviewing for me, many thanks!**


	14. Letters

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

_Dear Ginny, _

_I've been gone for two weeks now and I'm missing you already. I know I should never have left; this world seems so dismal without you. I hope than Ron and Hermione have told you why I'm gone. Though I've never told them exactly they should know enough to guess. _

_Please know that I do not want to hurt you. Don't dwell on me; I have no magic and your world would not accept me if I tried to come back. I'm trying to build a new life here, though life without you is inconceivable. I never thought I would have to let you go. Always know that I love you with all my heart and you will always have a special place there, whatever happens._

_All my love,_

_Harry._

_Dear Ginny,_

_This is not the first letter I have tried to write to you, but they do not seem to reach you. I hope with all my heart that you are well and happy; I do not want to believe that anything could have happened to you._

_Something is missing from my life here and I think it is you. I always thought we would grow old together, loving each other to the end. I will not ask you to join me here in this dull place without the beauty of magic, though the memory of you outshines even that._

_I find myself believing that you must be alright, and I shall hope for that to be correct, because I cannot imagine a life knowing that you are not in the world._

_Love,_

_Harry._

_Dear Ginny,_

_My letters are still returned unopened by the postal service. I no longer have access to owl post, so I shall continue to write to you in the hope that one day they will get to you. My heart craves to hear from you; to hear that you are alive and well; to hear that my leaving has not hurt you as much as it has hurt me._

_I miss you more than I can ever say in a letter. I spend each day wishing I had not left you when I did, with no goodbyes. I can only hope that your life can return to what it was before the final battle, and that you might find love again._

_Forever yours,_

_Harry._

_Ginny,_

_It has been years since I have heard your voice and I find myself wishing anew that I had never left you. I hope that your life has been happy and filled with love, as I once hoped I could make it_

_I miss those I left behind more than ever now, especially you. In my dreams I can pretend that I never left and we are happy together. Instead I content myself with the hope that you have found love and a happy life._

_All the best,_

_Harry._

_Dear Ginny,_

_My son keeps reminding me of what I lost, and the world I no longer have contact with. If I knew how I would be back in an instant. But I will not try to find a way; I will not disrupt the new lives I believe you must have built._

_In the future we may see each other again. I may now be a muggle but my son is not. Maybe someday we shall see each other waiting for the Hogwarts express. Though this is my deepest hope, I know that it is expecting a lot._

_With hope, _

_Harry._

_Ginny,_

_I no longer write these letters in the hope that you will read them. I now pray that they never reached you, not that you are sending them back; for if that is the case I think my heart would break. I know what I have lost by leaving the magical world that night thirteen years ago. _

_I know now that my son will come to Hogwarts next year. I can only hope that his experiences in the magical world will not be as filled with loss as mine were. I would give anything to go back to the night I left, and to take me with you. But I know I would not, even if I were given the chance, for that would not be fair on you._

_I think of you every moment, and hope that you are as happy as I wished to make you._

_All my love,_

_Harry._

Ginny sat in shock on Harry's bed. She would never have thought that a few letters would have sent her into such shock. The last one of these was written only a few months before she had seen him the first time at Kings Cross.

She had no idea he had felt like that. Or that he could write such letters, which made tears fall in tracks down her cheeks at the knowledge they contained. He anted her to move on. He kept himself going, knowing that she would have found someone else, but she hadn't; she had waited for him.

"I never-. I didn't-. I always thought-."

Harry was not sure what she was trying to say, but she wasn't mad at him, so he sat next to her and put his arms gently around her, to reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere.

"You wanted to come back?"

"Since the day I left. But I couldn't. Even if I thought I could I wouldn't have known how. I didn't know how to come back when even my letters weren't reaching you."

"Is this all of them?"

"No, there's a few more that didn't get returned to me. That's why I thought you might have received them. But I think there's probably a very confused person out there somewhere with letters that don't make sense to them."

Harry tried a joke, it didn't really work, but Ginny smiled.

"I wrote to you as well. I didn't keep the letters though. The owls just returned, I always thought they'd find you anyway. The letters Ron sent to Snuffles before-. Well they always found Sirius."

"But we'd always tell Pig who we meant. Hermione reckons it was because the owls didn't know about my new identity."

Ginny was re-reading the letters as they spoke.

"You wanted me to find somebody else?"

"I always just wanted you to be happy. I never imagined you'd wait for me. The one thing stopping me answering your owls since we met in the summer was the thought that you probably had a family waiting somewhere near the Burrow."

"I knew you were the only one who could make me happy. I obsessed over it for years. That was the only thing keeping me going."

Harry wondered how she could count it as keeping going, when she'd tried to kill herself.

As if she'd read his mind Ginny responded quietly.

"After I came out of hospital, one of the healers convinced me that you not being here could be a good thing. It gave me something to look forward to. So I waited for you; decided that I would know in my heart if you were dead. So in a way you not coming back kept me going because I could hope that you would come back."

Harry didn't know what to say to this. When he remained silent, Ginny started to talk again.

"You really missed me that much? What about your wife?"

"Louise filled a part of me that had been empty since I left. She represented everything I missed so badly. I'm not going to lie, I did love her, and I still miss her. She's James' mum, but we were only together a few years before she- left. She always said that life had to move on, and I think this is the sort of thing she meant."

"Sensible woman then."

Harry nodded, relieved that Ginny had been okay with him saying that he had loved Louise. She probably knew it anyway, but it needed to be said.

"Look, Harry, before all of this you were going to have me move in with you providing James was happy. Does that still stand?"

The only thing Harry could see in her eyes was hope. Oh, and love. It was this combination that persuaded Harry of the right thing to do.

"Yes. BUT." He continued loudly, for Ginny's face had lit up. "The rest of your family has to be happy about it too. Or at least tolerate it. Deal?"

"Okay." Ginny knew it was the best deal she was going to get from him.

"Right, let's go face the music."

"If they're still arguing I'm not talking to them. I'm sick of them arguing over me as if I can't make my own decisions."

"I'm not going to be able to change your mind about that, am I?"

"No, so don't try." Ginny grinned back at him as she crossed the landing and descended the stairs.

Harry knew that his future was as uncertain as ever and now rested on the reactions of the rest of the house.

And all he could do about it was hope.

**Thanks to the reviewers who made this chapter possible. I hope you like the letters. I tried my hardest with them so I hope they convey everything Harry was feeling. If you think I've missed something, or have any more ideas for me; tell me by reviewing.**

**Thanks for all reviews! Several more chapters to come so keep them coming!**


	15. Yelling

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

They were not quite finished with the screaming, Harry noticed as soon as he set foot outside his room.

The only sign Ginny gave that told Harry she could hear them was that her hand tightened around his.

Ron and George were still yelling the loudest. Harry could tell that from the top of the stairs. As they drew nearer to the noise source more voices joined the fray, but quieter. Molly was responsible for the occasional outburst, though Arthur seemed to be trying to calm her down and Hermione was yelling in Ginny's defence.

As they reached the first floor, Percy poked his head out of his door. He looked hassled, the only sign that he was not busy yelling downstairs but had been sent to look after the children. Seeing Harry and Ginny together, he smiled.

"As soon as they're done yelling, send one of them to get us. Hugo is so desperate to escape that he and James are building a rope of sheets. Thank heavens they can't use magic at home yet." He turned as shrieking from the room mixed with the voices from below. "Ben let go and give it back to Thomas."

His head withdrew into the room, muttering obscenities. Ginny grinned at Harry, who could tell that she would be laughing if the row had not been audible from below them.

Standing at the foot of the stairs they could hear every word. Harry was sure it would have made a rather drab play, the type people leave at the interval to escape. He could see it now;

_Molly:That's the only argument you've got isn't it. Do NOT suggest I can't raise a family. You turned out just fine._

_George:I never said anything of the sort. Ginny's different now._

_Hermione:She can still think for herself. If she didn't want Harry to kno-_

_Molly:And she DIDN'T! You couldn't leave it alone could you George, she wanted to be happy._

_Arthur:intervening This isn't going to solve anything_

_Hermione:He shouldn't have tol-_

_George:They won't accept he neede-_

_Molly:He didn't NEED to know anyt-_

_Arthur:QUIET_

Though Harry's mental images were amusing him, Ginny did not have the same insight. When Arthur started yelling he decided it was time they made their presence known. Knocking briefly on the door to warn the occupants, he pushed it open and stepped into the kitchen; Ginny following behind.

The occupants of the kitchen did not look happy. Molly was being restrained by Arthur across the table from George, who was exceptionally red in the face. Hermione's hair was exceptionally bushy, standing next to a very unhappy Ron, who, Harry noticed, was staying very quiet. Angelina, Bill and Fleur appeared at the garden door, drawn by the silence.

Everyone turned to face Harry and Ginny. George, Molly and Hermione looked like they wanted to say something, but Harry cut across them.

"Um, ok. We've been talking. Accompanied by some persuasive arguments from down here."

Ok it was a lie but they had been screaming loudly. At least they had the grace to go red. Next to him; he saw Ginny smile slightly to herself. It was this that gave him the courage to go next. He knew that some people in the room were not going to take this news well. Or would they; none of them actually had anything against him did they? So maybe they'd be alright with it.

"And nothing's changed. Maybe we know a bit more about each other." He squeezed Ginny's hand behind his back. "But we still want the same things. I want Ginny to come and live with me and James."

"Like you should all those years ago?" Ok so maybe George was still mad.

"No." To everyone's surprise it was Ginny who spoke, coming out from behind Harry into the full glare of her family's gazes. "Because all those years ago there was no James. But times have moved on; and this is what I want now."

She stared at them defiantly. Harry took up the commentary.

"I'm not about to run off with her. But this is what we both want. And it'd mean a lot if you weren't going to yell over it."

Arthur broke the silence before any of his sons could.

"Well Molly, you've got your seventh son back then."

Molly engulfed Harry in a hug before he could move. He was thankful that he towered over her, or she would have smothered him. He took that to mean they were going to accept it and his heart filled with joy. Finally he had his family back.

Hermione watched the scene unfold in front of her with tears in her eyes. She had always known that the Weasley's would accept Harry. She'd overheard George talking to Percy about how much they hoped he'd stay. Whatever had happened to Ginny in those years (and granted it had been a lot) was another matter, but Harry Potter was finally back with them.

Arthur watched his sons as Harry was ambushed by his wife, to his relief they were smiling. George looked less like he wanted to throw something and Ron was smiling at last. He knew he had never seen his daughter so happy, especially not recently, and all he wanted was for her to be happy.

George suddenly found that, no matter how much he wanted to be mad, he just couldn't be. He cared for his little sister, and there was no denying that Harry Potter made her happy. Besides, if he vanished again they were less likely to think he was dead and they could hunt him down. George was satisfied that Harry was back for good. So he just has to make sure his sister is not still mad at him. But that can come later.

Percy became aware that the yelling had stopped downstairs. The pounding in his head, however, had not stopped. Whatever was going on downstairs, soon Hugo and James were going to make it out of that window.

"Right, everyone downstairs, NOW!"

Everyone in the kitchen heard him, and the stampede now coming back down the stairs. Molly released Harry and braced herself.

Sure enough, a mass of ginger and blonde hair came shooting through the door as one, barely pausing for Ginny to leap out of the way. Harry looked for the mass of black hair in the midst of them, but couldn't find it. The misery was revealed when he came running downstairs a few seconds late, followed by Hugo and Percy.

Percy glared at them all evilly.

"Your son" He glared at Ron "Nearly hung himself with the sheets trying to escape. Apparently James" he turned to glare at Harry "Has been teaching him muggle tricks."

"Nothing to do with me." Protested Harry, remembering how mad Louise had been when he had first taught James that one. He resolved never to tell anyone how much Percy reminded him of Louise just then. He did not think it would go down well.

Percy looked at the surrounding crowd; he knew that the yelling had stopped, but that did not mean that all had gone well. Realising he had never been good at judging the mood he gave up trying and just dove in.

"So, are congratulations in order?"

He took the fact that nobody hit him or threw anything to be a good sign. Then he noticed that Harry was nodding in response while everyone else was poised ready to attack should the children make a mess and so not listening.

A clock chimed shrilly somewhere in the room and the Weasley children bundled onto the table. Harry could not get used to the magical aspect of this, though he had been around it for a week. Fifteen years without magic had told him that someone had to prepare the food for them to eat. Now here was Molly serving up a meal of her usual amazing standard, despite the fact she had been arguing for a good half hour.

He shook his head slightly in disbelief. Ron snorted with laughter.

"Mate you have got to get used to this. You've got a witch living in your house now!"

And with that he waved his wand and a butterbeer flew into his outstretched hand. The table laughed at Harry's expression.

He sat down next to James and began to eat. He soon noticed that the little boy was watching him carefully, as if not sure he should voice what he was about to say.

"Alright James?"

His son nodded fervently and turned back to his meal. This more than anything convinced Harry that he was not alright.

"What's wrong?" The conversation was whispered, and Harry could see Hermione ignoring them to give them privacy while Hugo was arguing with Rose.

"Is Ginny coming to live with us?"

"Yeah, I've asked her to. But it's up to you as well. If you don't think its ok, you need to tell me."

"No, it's cool. I was just wondering, because everyone was yelling."

Harry had forgotten that they had probably heard every word from their vantage point in the bedroom with Percy.

"Are you going to marry her?"

At his dads shocked face James assumed he wasn't going to get an answer and turned back to the food. Harry's mind was reeling as he turned to face the table. Hermione decided she wouldn't laugh; she had overheard enough to know that Harry should not be interrupted.

Married? That's what Ginny would expect isn't it?

But what about Louise?

Look where his last marriage had ended.

He'd been so short sighted.

If Ginny came to live with him then that would be the next step.

But he wasn't ready for this, not after everything he'd been forced to relive this weekend.

What had he been thinking?

**Sorry it took so long to get this up; had to clear some assignments first. I know where this story is going now… but how it gets there will be a surprise to us all. There's probably not too long to wait! Please keep reviewing!**


	16. Packing Away

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

_Hermione's Point Of View_

I can hear my daughter thundering down the stairs and it's not worth going on to go the next article in the paper. It's a muggle paper anyway. Never as interesting as the Prophet

"I can't find my wand!" she wails, bursting into the room

Of all the things to lose, it had to be my daughter who loses her wand. This is why I force my kids to pack up a day early. I don't want to be George, Bill or Harry tomorrow.

In fact, I have no idea where the other children are. I hope someone does or they'll be causing all sorts of trouble. Again.

Sighing, I follow my daughter up the stairs. It has not been an easy Christmas.

I wouldn't have had it any other way though; having Harry back in our lives is definitely worth all the hassle. Although it would have been more pleasant if George had learnt to shut up at relevant moments. Still, no lasting damage.

As far as I can tell, Ginny and Harry are happy together. Fortunately Harry didn't freak out about the marriage thing. I'm going to have to talk to James about that one. Though I could just prime Hugo… or maybe that would be too suspicious.

Despite my best efforts, my kids' room is a tip. It's hard enough on Molly and Arthur having us all here without them having to clear up after we've gone and send loads of forgotten things off to Hogwarts. It's no wonder Rose can't find her wand in here; you could search for days and not find her trunk!

I'm going to resist the urge to help her; she's got to learn to do it on her own. I won't be there at Easter to help her pack it all back up again. I'm always so tempted to help her with everything so that she never has to do it herself and I'm always there for her. But I know it won't always be like that. She has to learn for herself. That's what the war taught me; people are here one moment and gone the next and you'll never be able to bring them back. We lost so many friends that night.

Of course Harry disproved that, didn't he? I think that's why George took it so hard when Harry came back. We thought he was dead and gone along with Fred, and then Harry turns up out of the blue; but Fred's not going to do that.

I always wondered what life would be like if Harry had stayed. Would he and Ginny have stayed together, got married and had a nice happy family? Ginny always thought they would, but Harry was the one making that decision.

I tell my daughter that it's no wonder she can't find her wand, and it'll be found once she tidies up a bit. It's the look in her eyes that hurts the most. It tells me that if her dad was here he would summon it for her.

That's right, Ron the wonder dad. Always willing to please his children, with no thought for what their mother might have said a few moments before. Don't get me wrong, he's the love of my life and I won't hear a bad word said about him. But he's infuriating when it comes to Rose and Hugo. I guess he wants to give them the attention he lacked growing up. Another reason we stopped at two.

I wonder how many Ginny and Harry could have. I won't be surprised if they don't have any after all this time. But I know Ginny would like a little redhead to call her own. I can see them being quite the happy couple. Even after the novelty wears off; they were in her fifth year and I think they will be now. It's James that worry's me. I've talked to him and he seems fine. But how much is he bottling up?

I leave my children to it and wander downstairs. Out of the window I can see the rest of the extended clan. Another Quiddich game; I should have known! Harry is watching this time; it looks like James and Lucille are seeking. I can't get over how little Harry has changed. His hair might have a bit of grey in it, but it's still sticking up at random angles, and doesn't look like it's ever been introduced to a brush.

He's a bit thinner too. Though I guess I should expect that with everything that's happened. And there's something in his eyes that's changed. They're still that startling green, but without the light they used to have. I think it's coming back, late this week; but not as much as I can remember it being in our first few years at Hogwarts.

I'd do anything to be going back to Hogwarts again this year. To get on the train; have someone else do my cooking and washing for me, to know that my bed will always be made. Even classes seem better than what's going to happen around here soon. Ron and I will go back to out London house; and it will be silent. I hate it when Rose and Hugo go away; I guess in my heart I'm scared they might not come back.

_Harry's Point Of View_

She's watching us again. I can see her reflected in the window of the shed. She's been doing that a lot; when she thinks we can't see her. But I can see you Hermione, and I know something's wrong. I can't work out what it is. I don't think it's her children; they're the best behaved of the lot… or so they seem. I think her and Ron are happy. I was surprised to find out they were married. I guess I should have expected it in the same way Ginny and I fit back together, but it never crossed my mind, even in all those years of thinking. I hope she's happy; whatever's happened I still think of her as my best friend. But I don't know if she'd open up to me anymore.

_James' Point Of View_

Hermione's watching us again. And dad's watching her watch us. Adults are strange like that; they won't talk to anyone, they just watch. Hermione's tried to talk to me a bit about my dad. I know she's just trying to be nice, but I want dad to be the one to tell me. It's unfair that she knows so much more about my dad than I do. I know she's not trying to rub it in, but that's what it feels like. Of all the people in my class, I'm the one who should have known who Harry Potter is, but I had to be told. I ha to be told who my dad was. I bet no-one else can say that. But it's not an achievement I rate highly. Hugo reckons this Christmas much have been horrid, to find out they'd all been lying. But I don't think about it like that. Adults don't shout a lot, so when they do, I know its big stuff.

Dad tells me everything, maybe he just thought I wouldn't understand. I've got to admit that if he'd told me he used to be able to do magic, I would have ended up ratting him to the school counsellor lady. Rose says I should be mad at him, but I'm not. He's been more upset than me this week, and it was my idea to come here. So I might be mad at him, but he's got a right to be mad at me, so it evens out. That's how it works in our family. So I'm not bothered.

_Ginny's Point Of View_

I'm going to crash into the goalpost in a minute if I don't stop staring at Harry. I think he's watching Hermione, but she's not aware of it. This has been the best Christmas I've had in fifteen years. My Harry has come back to me and he is mine at last.

CRASH

The noise Ginny made by colliding with the goalpost brought Arthur and Molly running shrieking from the house. Later everyone would remember it as comical, but Harry felt only fear as he watched Ginny fall.

Ginny was fine. The game was halted and she was carried off my Harry to the living room. Hermione decided to take charge of the rest of the children for once.

"Right, you're leaving for Hogwarts tomorrow, so I don't want any of you downstairs again until you are fully packed. Go. Now!"

Grumbling loudly, the train of children wove into the house and disappeared from sight. They did not go quietly; she could hear them raging all the way up to their respective floors.

"What were you thinking about? You were paying no attention."

Ginny refused to answer, but her eyes gave the game away and strayed in Harry's direction.

"HA!" Ron laughed until Ginny gave him the biggest glare she could muster and he stopped.

"If looks could kill." Muttered Harry.

Puzzled looks all round, except for Hermione. Harry presumed that this was a muggle phrase. He was going to have to watch those. They were becoming far too frequent.

That evening, the nine children professed to have their trunks all packed, though Harry privately wondered how many of those would stand up to Hermione's inspection.

Dinner that night was not the affair Harry had expected. With the kids all off to Hogwarts the next day he had expected sorry faces, sulking children and some kicking under the table. In fact only one of those turned out to be correct; the kicking. Aware that they only had one day together, they were making the most of the opportunity to make mess and noise.

Ron and George were doing nothing to quiet the table down; instead they seemed to be adding to the noise. George had been into work that day, and came back armed with Weasley products to sneak into the trunks. As far as Harry could tell, the only person to have been caught so far was James, by him.

Though his son thought it unfair that he had been caught, Harry told him and Hugo a few of the things he, Ron and Hermione had got up to at Hogwarts, which allowed him to know when something fishy was going on.

Anyway, he had let James put most of it in his trunk.

There were far less explosions at the table than there could have been; it seemed everyone was keeping most of their stash in their trunks for tomorrow.

At the end of the evening, Benjamin was sent to bed early after being caught with some Filibuster Fireworks. Charlie did not mind about the table, which was repaired in an instant, but the crime was in using joke products produced outside the family. Harry privately found this very amusing, although he kept this to himself.

As the evening drew to a close Harry realised that the only person he hadn't been keeping an eye on was Ginny. Whatever she had been doing, it had been quiet, and now she wasn't anywhere to be seen. Harry thought this rather strange behaviour, as she hadn't let him out of her sights since he asked her to move in.

Hermione was also gone, so Harry figured they were probably cleaning up some mess somewhere. He needed something to do. He couldn't offer to help clear up because anyone else could do it a hundred times faster with a flick of their wands. Looking after the children was now a redundant task because they were all asleep, wanting their return to Hogwarts to arrive as fast as possible.

Instead, he retreated to his room to pack his bag, knowing that he also would leave the Burrow after the Hogwarts Express left.

He paused outside Ginny's room. He was right, she was with Hermione. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, it just sort of happened.

"Well you can't take everything Ginny."

"But what if he expects me to? I mean, he asked me to move in with him, what if he gets offended and thinks I'm not going to stay if I don't take everything."

"Yeah, but your parents are going to go mad if you take everything, you're their last child at home."

"So you're saying I can't please my parents and Harry at the same time?"

"No, you're saying that. Harry won't expect you to take everything, do you realise how many clothes you have? You'd need a removal van."

"I can use a shrinking charm."

"Yeah but Harry's not going to think of that is he? And that's why you don't need to take everything."

"But what if I want to?"

"Let's not freak the poor guy out now Ginny. He probably hasn't got that much wardrobe space."

Harry felt like coming into the room, but he was frozen at the sound of the wardrobe comment. There was yet another thing he hadn't thought about. Where on earth was Ginny going to sleep? Would she expect them to share a bed? But what if she didn't?

Amazingly, Harry's attempt to convey this to Hermione psychically actually worked. Or, more likely, Hermione knew both of them would be worrying about it.

"And you won't be able to leave your clothes all over his floor."

"Do you reckon we'll share a room?"

"Erm, well, yeah Ginny, I do. If that's going to bother you then Harry needs to know."

Though Harry couldn't see this from his vantage point on the landing, Ginny went a funny shade of red before answering in a small voice.

"No, I don't mind."

Smiling to himself, Harry continued up to his attic bedroom. It was strange how all conversations seemed to be listened in on. That must be where everyone got their information from in the Weasley household. With all the screaming going on it was a wonder anyone ever had a proper conversation, and any important conversations had someone listening in at the door.

Harry preferred it like that though. His house had seemed so empty with James and Louise gone, and finally that was about to change.

**As usual… more to come, please review!**


	17. Leaving

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

The train left bright and early the next morning. However that just seemed to make it harder for the Weasley's to actually make it onto the train. The innumerable problems started with Rose's alarm clock going off in her trunk at a ridiculous hour of the morning and only ended as the train pulled away.

At 4am that morning, sounds of Hugo yelling at Rose reached even Harry.

"TURN IT OFF!!!!!!"

"I can't find it."

A tired and annoyed Hermione padded across the landing.

"What is going on? Rose get into bed. Hugo, do not wake up the entire house."

A small high pitched annoying beeping sound could be heard through the floor. Apparently that was the lost alarm clock. Failing to find it, Hermione cast a silencing charm and locked the door behind her.

Nobody in the house could quite fathom why the clock had been set for 4am, but very few people were asleep any more.

David and Benjamin did not even bother waiting an hour to get up. Despite Charlie's stern warnings the night before that nobody was to move before 7am, Harry could hear them creeping down the stairs at quarter to five.

The adults didn't stir.

Hugo, James and Rose were the next to creep downstairs. In spite of the silencing charm, they did not seem bothered by lack of sleep and worried even less then the twins about waking people up. Harry thought they sounded more like a heard of elephants.

The adults didn't stir.

Fred was quieter. Harry wouldn't have known he had left his room if David hadn't shrieked his name as he entered the lounge. As normal, the shouting started a chain reaction of yelling from the children; Harry could hear pretty much individual words as he lay in his bed on the top floor.

The adults didn't stir.

Finally, Thomas, Victoire and Lucille decided they didn't want to be left out. Bounding down the stairs, the resulting noise level of nine hyper children persuaded Harry that sleep was impossible. He was amazed that none of the other eleven adults had moved even with all the noise that was not reverberating round the house.

Harry stirred.

Passing Ginny's room, the answer to the lack of movement became evident. Either everyone was already out, or they had all cast silencing charms around their rooms.

For the first time in more than ten years, Harry found himself missing his magic. In muggle society, where magic was an illusionary concept, there was no need for it. But here where it was the norm, Harry was continually reminded exactly how much he missed his magic; how useful it had been and the fun that had come along with it. Though he had some of the aspects of his old life back; his friends and surrogate family, he had to remind himself that the magic was not coming back.

Feeling slightly peeved that everyone else had slept through the severe noise level, Harry descended to the ground floor. As he pushed open the door to the lounge, the children were immediately quiet.

"Oh good Harry, it's you." To say that Benjamin looked relieved would have been an understatement.

"I thought it might have been my mum." Hugo confessed, Rose nodding beside him, both of them seemingly concealing something behind them.

"Or ours." Fred and Thomas called from the corner of the room.

"Yeah, well they're all still asleep." Harry kept his voice light, knowing that he too would like to still be asleep.

"Told you they'd use a silencing charm." Victoire sounded very smug, and the others, though they seemed to be trying to find a retort, eventually simply nodded to her.

"How come you're up dad?" James, though glad it was not another parent more likely to yell at them, thought it typical that his dad should find them.

"You're not being that quiet, you know. I can hear you from the attic."

Lucille opened her mouth to speak but Victoire elbowed her in the ribs and she closed it. Harry suspected she had been about to ask why he didn't just cast a silencing charm like the rest of the adults.

"So, exactly what are you doing that you don't want any of your parents to know about?"

"Um…" Hugo looked around at his companions, apparently deciding whether Harry was going to be allowed to see, or whether he would tell the rest of the adults.

Nods all round. Hugo and Rose parted and Harry had to stop himself bursting out laughing. Hidden behind them was the biggest box of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes that Harry had ever seen. They had smuggled everything George had brought home, plus a fair bit more by the looks of things, into one box.

"We've been hoarding it all holiday, but now we've got to divide it up."

"So why's that so hard?"

Immediately Harry wished he hadn't asked. He didn't quite catch everything that was said, just snippets, but they were all talking at once, full volume!

"I put the most in." "It's my dad's shop." "The girls don't need as much." "They won't give us any." "IT'S NOT FAIR!!"

"OK, OK, quiet down, all of you." Harry decided to take charge, feeling a bit like Hermione.

"Look, you're all in the same house aren't you?"

Nods all round.

"Then divide it up equally, then if someone runs out, or wants to swap things, then you can do it. You just have to agree that's what's going to happen."

"Yeah, I guess." Though Victoire didn't sound happy, it was simply that she thought she should have come up with the idea, being the oldest of them all.

"Just take it in turns to take things out of the box until it's all gone and you've all got the same amount, then share when you get to school. Hermione's not going to stay asleep forever."

The last threat worked. Though the grabbing seemed panicked, it was also surprisingly organised. In next to no time, the box was empty and a long line of children vanished up the stairs a lot quieter than earlier to hide everything at the bottom of their trunks.

By 6am they were back. And hungry. Though none of them were asking him for food, Harry could tell from the whispers that was what they wanted.

The fact of the matter was that he was also hungry, and the other adults could not be heard moving about. Deciding to take charge like the adult he was, Harry made the decision to cook breakfast. With the help of Rose and Lucille he found everything he needed, and Fred gave him a lot of help with the actual cooking. Though perhaps 'help' is not quite the right word, but he was at least enthusiastic.

In less than half an hour, silence reigned in the kitchen. All nine children, plus Harry, were tucking into a nice English breakfast. The young witches and wizards had been amazed to see Harry cooking by hand, and he had managed to get most of them to fry their own bacon. A bit of cleaning up was needed after Thomas' incident with the tomatoes, but Harry thought he might leave that to another adult in possession of a wand!

Once breakfast was over, Harry stacked the dishes and wondered what to do next.

"Hey, guys. Go up and finish packing, then I'll check your trunks so nobody else has to do it later."

They caught the hint 'so Hermione doesn't check'. Harry didn't want to undermine his old best mate, but knew she wouldn't be too impressed with him if she found out he had helped all of the clan smuggle joke products into school, though he had bothered to check that very few skiving snackboxes made it into the trunks. Leaving them all in their rooms, he climbed the second set of stairs to his room, packing his few belongings into his bag, happy in the knowledge that he would be back here soon.

True to his word, Charlie rose at seven. Poking his head out of his room, he could hear quiet voices coming from all of the bedrooms containing children. He was amazed. There was no way they had actually stayed in bed all this time, was there?

Shaking his head in disbelief, he descended to the lounge; sure enough it was clear, the box back in the corner. No signs of destruction; the usual sign that the rabble had been out of bed, were left.

Nearly convinced that they had obeyed him and stayed in bed until the allotted hour, Charlie wandered through to the kitchen.

No, they hadn't stayed in bed!

Nine plates were stacked in the sink.

No, wait, that wasn't right. Ten plates. Of course, they wouldn't have cooked themselves breakfast. But George's door had been closed when he came downstairs, the silencing charm in tact. And Bill always maintained that there was no way he was getting up with the terrors. No way was it Ron, Charlie knew that he would be asleep for the next few hours until Hermione poked him awake or he got too hungry. So maybe Ron as food was involved. Percy's gone home already; precisely to avoid all this and it wasn't the ladies. Must have been Ron; couldn't even be bothered to clean up!

Hearing movement above him he decided to confront the children. Pulling open the door, madness greeted him.

_Everyone_ was awake. The mad dash for the bathroom had begun. Of course the kids were running away from this, most of them had been forced to bathe the night before. But with six ladies wanting bathroom time, it was like being back in a house of teenagers. Not that anyone would ever say that.

As Charlie watched, he became amazed that there weren't any accidents. It was madness, the sheer amount of people running between different rooms, it was astounding than nobody was injured.

By eight o clock the adults emerged. Charlie and Bill had levitated the trunks downstairs and lined them up in the hall ready to go. With time running out, Hermione had decided to trust Harry's veto of the trunks and just send on anything they'd left. Thankfully, she didn't notice the nine relieved faces coming down the stairs.

Molly was the last to come down the stairs, panicking because nobody had eaten yet.

"Don't worry mum, Ron fed the kids earlier." Charlie thought he had figured out the adult presence earlier, but Ron looked confused.

Hermione laughed. "No he didn't Charlie; I had to kick him out of bed this morning."

"Then who did? There were ten plates in the sink when I came down."

"Yes." Broke in Molly "And they're still there."

Charlie, Ron and Hermione waved their wands at the sink and the pile of plates seemed to be washing itself. Harry came down the stairs in time to see them levitate to the cupboard.

Molly positioned herself at the stove. "Breakfast Harry?"

"No thanks Molly, I ate earlier with the kids."

"YOU made them breakfast?" Ron didn't mean to sound so shocked but that was how it came out.

"Erm, yeah, they were hungry and I thought it might shut them up for a bit."

As Laura, Angelina, Arthur and Ginny arrived in the kitchen, Molly turned back to the pan which was now cooking the sausages itself and threw some more sausages in.

"What were you doing up that early Harry?" Hermione wondered out loud. "We thought everyone would want a lie-in."

"This lot make a lot of noise in the morning." Harry privately wondered how they thought he was meant to sleep if the rest of them needed silencing charms.

"Oh no." Though Ginny's mouth was full of food, Harry was struck by how beautiful she looked in the morning. "Harry, I'm so sorry. I meant to do a charm round your room before we went to bed."

"Nah, don't worry Ginny. It was probably a good thing someone was down here, before the kids all had a riot."

Ginny didn't look convinced, but she turned back to her breakfast anyway, after giving Harry a particularly saucy look, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking about her.

After Angelina, Bill, Charlie and Arthur left for work, three ministry cars turned up outside the burrow.

"You get ministry cars?" Harry was surprised; he had thought these were only for special occasions, not just people being returned to Hogwarts.

"Yeah." Laura grinned at him. As she hadn't known him at Hogwarts she found it a bit strange that he knew about their world but, at the same time, he didn't. "They've done it for years if families have too many kids for side-along-apparation."

Harry nodded, realising exactly how much of this he was going to have to endure. There would be so much that had changed, and Ginny would have been there for al of it. Speaking of Ginny, she had emerged with two suitcases that morning, after Harry mentioned loudly that they were taking the train to his house after dropping the kids off at Kings Cross.

At half past nine they were nearly ready to leave;

9:31; Hugo ran back upstairs to find his exploding snap.

9:33; Having found the exploding snap, Hugo and James were caught playing with it in the kitchen.

9:35; Rose decided that she wanted her chess set on the train, and opened her trunk.

9:42; Hermione finished re-packing Rose's trunk.

9:43; CrookshanksII freed himself from the cat basket and ran around the house.

10:01; Lucille and Thomas had a fight over the bathroom, and Fred ended up with a black eye.

10:02; CrookshanksII was recaptured and forced into the car.

10:04; With everyone having been yelled at by Laura and Ginny, Hermione forced Victoire into helping chivvy everyone into the car.

10:07; David left the car and ran back to the house, pursued by Hermione

10:20; Benjamin, Thomas, David and Laura were safely in the front car.

10:30; Lucille, Victoire, Fred, Ron and Ginny were forced into the second car.

10:35; Hugo, Rose, James, Hermione and Harry were shut in the last car.

With Hermione seething in the front as the car pulled away, Harry decided he was happy to be safely in the front seat. It had taken them over an hour to get from nearly ready to gone.

Squashed between James and the door, he quickly confiscated the pack of exploding cards and then the wizard's chess as they were brought out, on the basis that the car journey wasn't long enough and they had an entire train journey ahead of them.

They were at Kings Cross at five to eleven. Harry knew from the morning that this was going to be tough. Nine trolleys were summoned and the red headed clan ran through the station and through the barrier. James glanced at his dad, then realised he'd done it more times than his son and left him to it.

Harry and Ron took charge of lifting trunks onto the train as the collective mums issued instructions.

"No skiving snackboxes"

"I want no letters home this term"

"And do NOT blow up another toilet"

This last order, aimed at Benjamin and David, cracked Harry and Ron up. He remembered Molly issuing Fred and George with a similar order on his first day of Hogwarts. Stifling his laughing, he straightened up to find Ginny looking t him with her eyebrows raised. She sidled over to him.

"Are you encouraging them again Harry?"

"Again?"

She gave him a look.

"No, I'm remembering the time Fred and George tried to send me a toilet seat but Madame Pomfrey confiscated it."

"I don't remember that."

"I think it was first year. Though I seemed to spend too much time in the hospital wing."

"At least your son hasn't inherited that side of you."

Harry grinned and waved to his son through the window as the train pulled away. He and the Weasleys waved for a few seconds before sprinting off to find a compartment for themselves.

"We'll hear from them soon enough." Sighed Hermione.

Harry addressed Ginny.

"Miss Weasley, are you ready to accompany me home?"

Ginny grinned and slipped her hand into his, she was moving in with Harry.

She was moving in with Harry!

**Same drill… more to come. I'm on holiday this week so I'll update as much as I can! Please keep reviewing!!**


	18. A Certain Future

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

Harry had never realised how small his house was, or how messy. Once upon a time Louise had kept the house spotless. Harry hadn't exactly neglected it, he was handy with a broom and a paintbrush, and James had chipped in when he got older, but the windows needed a bit of a wash, the grass was due a cut and some of the flowers had died last winter and not been replaced.

Ginny did not notice any of this. She didn't notice Harry noticing it as she would usually have done. In her head she was eighteen again, just out of Hogwarts, and Harry had taken her with him.

Pushing open his front door Harry cursed himself for not tidying up before he came away. Large amounts of post were stacked inside the door and Harry had to force the door to fit Ginny's suitcase through it.

Ginny stared, realising that this was, in essence, a muggle house; the pile of letters by the door waiting for Harry instead of the owls meeting him at The Burrow, the telephone on the table in the hall and several boxes with blinking lights and screens in the lounge. George had joked that Harry would have to get used to having a witch in his house, but, as she pushed the door closed behind her, Ginny realised she would have just as much to get used to.

It was dark outside; they had gone shopping in London before catching the train to Devon. With Harry unable to apparate, Ginny had been forced to brave muggle transport, and had clung to Harry's hand for most of the journey. Harry hit the light switch to illuminate some of the hall lights, wincing as they highlighted the mess.

Checking that Ginny wasn't freaking out, Harry led her up the stairs to his room. This bit at least wasn't complicated. There wasn't actually a spare room to sleep in; sure, there was a room, but it was literally a box room. Completely full of boxes that Harry couldn't be bothered or didn't want to put in the attic.

Poking his heads through the door, Harry was relieved to see that this room seemed to have escaped the bombshell that had hit the rest of the house. Releasing her case in the middle of the room, Harry turned to see that Ginny had also relinquished her hold on the second suitcase and was smiling at him in a way she hadn't in the last few weeks.

Pulling the curtain closed, Harry realised he hadn't felt this nervous in years. Running his hand through Ginny's hair he pulled her towards him, feeling her heart beating against him as he pulled her top over her head and felt her push towards him….

The next morning, Harry woke to find the bed next to him empty. He could also hear the shower running. As his brain adjusted out of sleep he connected the two thought bit by bit. Slowly, the memories of the night before returned to him, and a large grin spread over his face.

The smile was still there during breakfast. Ginny couldn't help but giggle to herself every time she looked at him. She thought he looked like the cat that got _a lot_ of cream.

"Harry, what're you doing today?"

He shrugged, his mouth full of toast, wondering what he could do with Ginny, maybe the beach. He also needed to clean the house a bit, and answer that growing pile of mail.

He swallowed. The mail could wait. "I thought I'd show you the beach."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "The beach." She sounded sceptical.

"Yeah, if that's ok with you; it's a pretty nice beach, and I think the funfair's still there. Might need to wrap up a bit though, it gets kind of cold here in winter."

Ginny's eyebrow stayed raised, and Harry began to wonder what he had done wrong now. All was explained as Ginny raised the blind on the kitchen window.

Harry sighed. It always rained when he wanted to go to the beach. And on cue it was raining, not too hard, but the sky was dark and threatening.

Ginny settled herself down next to Harry. "Never mind, I can get myself settled in here. Then you can show me the beach tomorrow."

So Ginny spent the day waving her wand at the mess and clearing it, of course this took her a fraction of the time it would have taken Harry, so she spent a lot of the time making herself feel at home; and changing the colour of the walls and sofa. Harry started to deal with the post, but ended up watching her. The woman he loved and the magic he missed, what else could he want to do?

The second time Ginny caught Harry watching she didn't pretend not to have noticed. "Don't you have something you need to be doing? That pile of letters looks as big as it did last time I looked."

"There's something about watching you turn my walls purple that's hard to ignore."

Ginny stuck her tongue out at him, still feeling like the eighteen year old she wanted to be when this happened.

Harry turned back to the post. Bill. Bill. Catalogue. Junk. Working his way through some very boring tax-related stuff he came to a letter from his boss and was instantly reminded of something he meant to ask.

"Ginny?"

"Hmm."

"When have you got to go back to work again?"

"Why?"

"My boss wants me in on Monday. I told him I had a family situation so he gave me a few days off but it just occurred to me that you work too."

Ginny came up behind him so Harry pulled her onto his lap as one would a small child and kissed her.

"Yup. I don't know really. Pye wasn't too happy about giving me time off, but I think Percy had a word when he went back to work. I'll owl them and tell them I'm coming back on Monday."

"You realise my neighbours are going to think this owl activity all very suspicious? Not to mention the changing wall colours."

"Don't worry; I cast a couple of charms before I began so they won't notice anything."

"Excellent, we won't scare any OAP's as they go past."

"OAP's?"

"Old Age Pensioners; the older generation."

"Quit talking muggle!"

Harry tickled her and Ginny leapt off his lap. Watching her for a few seconds, Harry then turned back to the post.

Bill. Bill. Work. Junk. File it. Chuck it. School friend. Louise's parents. Bill.

Drat, what was that? Harry backtracked. Louise's parents. Oh, he'd completely forgotten to write back to them before he went away

_Dean,_

_We haven't heard from you in a while, so are hoping everything is good your end. Jane is inclined to panic but I think I have managed to convince her to blame the Christmas postal service backlog._

_For whatever reason, we didn't receive word on what to buy James for Christmas. As he's boarding this year we have enclosed some money. We trust that you will be able to buy him something and send it off to him._

_Christmas was quiet our end, Bryony and Robert visited for Christmas day, and we're hoping to see you and James in the near future._

_Hoping to hear from you soon._

_All the best._

_Iain._

Without him realising, Ginny had crept up behind Harry and was reading over his shoulder.

"Who are Iain, Jane, Bryony and Robert?"

Harry swallowed. "Louise's dad, mum, sister and brother-in-law. We usually go up to Buckingham to visit them at Christmas so James can see his cousin. Jack's only three but it's a bit of fun for everyone. They wrote to me before Christmas but I completely forgot about it after getting letters from James and Hermione."

"That's not all that's worrying you, is it?"

"No."

Ginny waited, but Harry was obviously not going to elaborate without a bit of poking.

"Harry?"

"I might need to tell them about you."

"Oh. Well, yes that's going to help."

"I hate to put it like this; but how do you tell the parents of your wife that you're living with the girl you've loved since your schooldays?"

"Not like that."

"Helpful."

"Come on, it'll be fine. They can't expect you to mope over Louise forever."

"Yes they can, they're her parents. Ginny, they even know me under a different name!"

"This is why they'll be glad you've found a new lady and mum-figure for their oldest grandson. And we'll have to cal, you Dean around them. Or I could confuse them."

"I guess."

"Trust me. You write back to them. Perhaps don't mention me just yet, and I'll make lunch. And it's stopped raining so you can show me around the beach."

Harry nodded and pulled out a writing pad as Ginny disappeared into his kitchen

_Iain, _

_Sorry it's taken me a while to write back, James and I went away for Christmas to see an old friend of mine. Awfully sorry about not replying re James, but he was the usual indecisive child and couldn't give me any idea what he wants; and he's so much more difficult to get an answer out of now he's boarding. I'll forward him the money, I'm sure it will be greatly appreciated._

_Hopefully see you and Jane soon_

_Dean _

Ginny reappeared with sandwiches in an amazingly short time. They were also devoured in a surprisingly short time, but maybe that shouldn't have been such a revelation.

As if on cue, the sun shone out from behind the clouds, Harry could see that the wind was still strong, so he pulled coats from the cupboard for them both. He realised Ginny could have done a warming charm, but this was his outing and they'd do it his way for once.

Ginny took the coat from Harry and followed him to the door. Locking the door behind them, he thought of something. Turning left at the end of the road, Ginny did not notice that they were walking away from the seafront. Instead she was concentrating on seemingly normal muggle objects as if they were from outer space, which, to her, they might as well have been.

"You realise people are going to think you've just been let off a spaceship if you keep staring like that." Harry pointed out as they passed a post box.

"Quit it." He joked as Ginny became fascinated with the prospect of an ATM.

"Money comes out of there? Where are the banks?"

"It's connected to the bank electronically."

Ginny's silence conveyed a lot.

Eventually, Harry stopped. "Wait here, I won't be long." And he vanished down a side alley, leaving Ginny alone in what looked like an empty market place.

True to his word, he was soon back, carrying a small paper bag. Ginny gave him a quizzical look.

Trying not to look uncomfortable or get embarrassed as he would have once upon a time, Harry held the bag out to her. "There's something in here you might need."

Curious, Ginny took the bag. Opening it, she couldn't see anything inside, until something small glinted at her. A key?

Then she realised. Her very own key, to Harry's house

Their house.


	19. Epliogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any characters or places named in these stories. They belong to JK Rowling.**

The Hogwarts express pulled into the station. Hundreds of students swarmed around the platform finding their trunks and owls, saying their goodbyes and promising to write.

A tall boy with untidy black hair pulled his trunk onto a trolley and located a few red-haired friends before moving as a pack to join the queue leaving the platform. The girl pinned a prefect badge to her muggle clothing, ready to show it off to her parents. An old guard was letting them through in small groups so they wouldn't be noticed by any muggles, but the station was too full for anyone to notice. Parents stood in their masses between platforms 9 and 10.

James turned to his friends as they reached a lady with bushy hair standing with another ginger man. Though they clearly all knew each other, the hugs were mainly for the boys friends, and his attention is elsewhere. Saying goodbye to his friends he scanned the platforms.

He passed his eyes over the swarms of first and second years hugging their parents, the third and fourth years trying to look nonchalant, and the older years chatting in groups. Many of his fifth year friends called out to him, and he waved back.

Finally he spotted what he was looking for. A man standing alone in the corner. As the boy sees him he looks up and smiles. He had been waiting longer than the other parents, sitting on a bench by platform seven for several hours, as if he didn't quite get the time right.

Muggle parents were standing near him, baffled by the owls and trunks, amazed by the tales being shouted at them by excitable small witches and wizards.

He ruffled the boys' hair and hugs him but little is said as they leave the station. In fact, silence reigned until they were on the train, in an empty carriage.

"The headmaster wants you to come in and do a speech in Defence against the Dark Arts next year."

"What did you tell him?"

"That you won't have changed your mind; even now you've got your magic back."

Harry smiled at James, thankful that his con could be counted on to predict his answers. The headmaster had besieged him with owls all year, and even more in the last few months.

"Dad, you never really told me how you got your magic back."

"Another day James."

James took that to mean that the story involved Ginny. They were nearly home so he didn't feel like pressing the matter.

Harry unlocked the door and carried James' trunk in for him. The hall was untidy, though a quick glance into the lounge told James that it was clear. The front door opened again behind them and James looked up expectantly. Sure enough there she was. He had missed his dad of course, but he'd missed Ginny too.

Hugging her, he noticed she'd put on some weight, but he knew enough about women not to tell her.

Later that night James decided to take advantage of his father's absence.

"Ginny. How did my dad get his magic back?"

"He hasn't told you?"

"He said he'd tell me another day."

"He would. It's not as great a story as you might think though. Don't go expecting a blockbuster."

James shook his head, just wanting Ginny to get on with it. He didn't think his dad would stop her telling him, but there was always a chance.

"Well, you won't have noticed it, but he's been a bit strange about he using magic around the house. When the dishwasher broke, he bought a new one, thought I could have mended it or washed the dishes using magic. Stuff like that.

"Well this year we decided paint the box room. We'd decided on light blue and green and your dad came back with a load of paint samples from B&Q or somewhere. This was, I'd got home from work a bit early and set to work on the room with my wand. Your dad got really mad and started yelling. I've never seen him so angry and it was a bit scary."

"What? But dad never yells."

"I hadn't realised just how much he missed his magic. I wont say he was jealous, but it was a bit mean of me to go on using magic around him when I knew that he's never be able to do it again. Or thought he wouldn't anyway."

"Anyway, halfway through his rant the lamp exploded and the window smashed. He didn't realise what it meant, but it was just what happens to young children as their magic becomes evident. He didn't say anything more to me, but vanished. It turned out later that he'd gone straight up to the attic to where he'd hidden his spell books."

"What? There were spell books in the attic all this time."

"Looks like it."

"That's why I was never allowed up there!"

Ginny laughed. "Anyway, he was holding his wand and managed to set fire to some pictures. Then he used _Augmenti_ without even thinking about it to put the fire out. By the time I came back upstairs the window was repaired, there was a new light and the room as a slightly different shade of blue."

"And there was a large bunch of roses waiting for you, I seem to remember." Came Harry's voice from the door.

"How long have you been standing there? James said you wouldn't tell him."

"Because you always make such a better job of it than I do."

"You've told all of two people, that's hardly a comparison."

Silence fell as Harry sat down, and James had a feeling that they weren't done.

Harry began, "James, there's something else."

Ginny moved her hand onto her stomach, and James noticed the ring.

"You're getting married?"

Ginny and Harry nodded

"That's great!"

"There's something else."

"You're pregnant Ginny?"

"How did you know?"

"I'm not an idiot dad. That's amazing. I've always wanted a little-"

"Sister, it's a girl. We're going to call her Lily"

And here we leave them. Sat round a table as a family, soon to get bigger, as James enjoys a magical family in more senses than one.

**Fin.**

**Wow…. That ended up SO much longer than I thought it would. The plan was for six chapters and it's ended up at nineteen!!!**

**Thanks to everyone that reviewed at any stage in the writing of this, you've all been a great help!**

**Many more fanfics in the planning stages, so please let me know what you thought of this one, and keep reading!!!**


End file.
